A banker named Aleshe Ayodeji is accused of depositing fake Naira notes worth more than N20 million with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which led the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the seizure of funds and properties connected to him.
The EFCC claimed that Ayodeji, who was in charge of making deposits into the CBN on behalf of a commercial bank, committed the fraud with the help of employees of the top bank.
The defendant is accused by the anti-graft agency of switching numerous boxes of N1000 notes, each box worth at N10 million, with documents and counterfeit money in an effort to defraud the Federal Government.
It informed the court that the defendant, acting in collusion with other bank employees, received payments of the real worth of the money, which was typically deposited into predetermined private accounts, while pretending that the false currencies were either damaged or mutilated Naira notes.
According to an affidavit submitted by one of its agents, Mr. Shepherd Nanaoweikumo, the CBN has a policy wherein Deposit Money Bank (DMB) can return interleaved and damaged funds to it for replacement.
It said that when the monies were returned, a staff member from the top bank would look them over.
The Commission stated that these deposits made by a Commercial Bank will be automatically destroyed through a briquetting activity after two years of waiting for examination.
“That sometime in November 2014, the Central Bank of Nigeria reported a case of financial malfeasance and fraud against some of its staff at the Central Bank lbadan Branch.
“Following the petition, EFCC assigned a Unit to conduct inquiry with a view to establishing its veracity or otherwise.
“That the Unit commenced investigation into the case and preliminary investigation revealed that the Commercial Banks deposit money with the Central Bank of Nigeria and they also withdraw money from the CBN.
“That upon depositing the money with CBN, the account of the Commercial Bank is credited with the amount deposited.
“That there is a Unit at a Commercial Bank that is charged with responsibility of taking such money to the CBN and making withdrawals from the CBN on behalf of their Bank.
“That there were several boxes of money from the new generated bank of Nigeria deposited with the CBN Ibadan branch which were found to contain currency notes interleafed with either lower denominations or papers cut into the sizes of currency notes.”