President Bola Tinubu’s special investigator, Jim Obazee has sent the names of Odoh Ocheme and two others who are now at large to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) for placement on the Red Notice Watchlist for extradition.
The request which also contained the names of Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar is contained in a 12th February 2024 letter signed by the Head of Operations of the Special Investigator’s team, DCP Eloho Okpoziakpo to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, National Central Bureau, Force Headquarters in Abuja seeking their placement on the Interpol watchlist.
The three are on the run from prosecution in the forgery case and stealing $6.23 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last year.
The letter referenced CR: 300/TSI/ABJ/Vol.1/85 and acknowledged by the office of the AIG on 13th February 2024, read, “The Special Investigator, appointed by the President and Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Related Entities, and Other key government business entities (GBEs) kindly requests you to place the above-named individuals on Interpol Red Notice”.
The letter explained that “In the course of the Special Investigator’s assignment, Mr Odoh Eric Ocheme (staff of the CBN) now at large and the other two accomplices, also at large, were discovered to have conspired and forged documents in the name of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria with which they stole about $6.230 million in cash from the coffers of the CBN”.
“Consequent upon the above, a charge was filed and warrants of arrest have been issued by Justice I.E Ekwo in charge no FHC/ABJ/CR/19/2024 B/w Federal Republic of Nigeria, V. Adam Abubakar & 2 Others for the arrest and production of the defendants named above for their arraignment. The data page of Odoh Eric Ocheme’s Nigerian International Passport No B50082800, duly certified true copies of the warrants, and the order of the court to that effect are hereby attached.
“The Special Investigator therefore prays for you to use your good offices to request that you be placed on Interpol Red Notice to apprehend and repartriating them from any of the Interpol member states to which they have flown”.
In the accompanying extradition charge filed by Celestine Odo, Chief Superintendent of Police and prosecuting counsel for the Special Investigators team, on 18th January at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/19/2024, the witness are Bashirudeen Maishanu, Abdulmajeed Muhammad, Emefiele Godwin and Samuel Okojere. Others are Jim Obazee, Catherine Terudo Igundunase, DCP Eloho Okpoziakpo, CSP Segun Aderoju and DSP Tijani Bako.
In the application, exhibits listed before the courts included the CBN Abuja Branch Withdrawal slip, CBN Internal memo dated 07/02/2023, and 31/01/2023 and also the staff identity card of one Jubril Abubakar. Others are the January 23, 2023 letter purportedly written by Muhammadu Buhari to Mr Boss Mustapha, the Letter dated January 26, 2023, purportedly written by Boss Mustapha to Mr Godwin Emefiele, the statement of Bashirdeen Maishanu, statement of Agu Chijioke Kingsley, Statement of Nasiru Usman, Sani Oricha Adams, Memo by Bashir Y. Ahmed, Statement of Abdulmajeed Muhammad, Statement of Godwin Emefiele, and the statement of Samuel Chukwunyem Okojere.
Count one says that Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 January 2023 at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court conspired among themselves to commit offence to wit: Forgery and thereby committed an offence contrary to paragraph 3(6) and punishable under section 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.
Count two states that, ‘Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 January 2023 at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court conspired among themselves to commit an offence to wit: Uttering forged documents and thereby committed an offence contrary to paragraph 3(6) and punishable under section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.
Count three states, Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 January 2023 at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court forged the following documents: 1) The presidency, office of the secretary to the government of the federation identity card in the name of Jubril Abubakar; (ii) Letter dated 23rd January 2023 purportedly written by Muhammadu Buhari to Mr Boss Mustapha; (iii) letter dated 26th January 2023 purportedly written by Boss Mustapha to Godwin Emefiele; (iv) Central Bank of Nigeria Internal memo dated 31st January 2023 purportedly by the Director of Banking Services Department to the Governor; and, (v) CBN internal memo dated 7th February 2023 purportedly written by the Director, Banking Services to the Branch Controller, Abuja, with the intent that the CBN Abuja branch may in the believe that the documents are genuine be induced to pay you the sum of $6.230 million and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.
Count (iv) Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 January 2023 at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja Branch Garki 2, Abuja, within within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, uttered the following forged documents: 1) The presidency, office of the secretary to the government of the federation identity card in the name of Jubril Abubakar; (ii) Letter dated 23rd January 2023 purportedly written by Muhammadu Buhari to Mr Boss Mustapha; (iii) letter dated 26th January 2023 purportedly written by Boss Mustapha to Godwin Emefiele; (iv) Central Bank of Nigeria Internal memo dated 31st January 2023 purportedly by the Director of Banking Services Department to the Governor; and, (v) CBN internal memo dated 7th February 2023 purportedly written by the Director, Banking Services to the Branch Controller, Abuja, with the intent that the CBN Abuja branch may in the believe that the documents are genuine be induced to pay you the sum of $6.230 million and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.
Count (v) Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 January 2023 at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court conspired among themselves to commit an offence to wit: obtaining property by false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8 and punishable under section 1 (3) & section 10 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud-related offences act Cap A6 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010.
Count (vi) states “Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 January 2023 at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, by false pretence that one man who held out himself as Jubril Abubakar is a staff from the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to source money from the Central Bank of Nigeria for foreign election observers, and with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $6.230 million from the CBN Abuja Branch and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) and punishable under section 1(3) and section 10 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other related offences Act, Cap A6 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010.
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