Ex-Bankers Insists EFCC Official, Hammadama Bello Demanded N96m To Release Them From Custody
Eight former staff of the First Bank Nigeria Limited who were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) over alleged stolen of dirty naira notes in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have narrated how officials of the EFCC maltreated them for their failure to raise N96m in December 2014.
The affected ex-bankers are; Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Muniru Adeola, Toogun Kayode Philip, Isaq Akano, Ayodele Festus Adeyemi, Oyebamiji Akeem, Ayodeji Aleshe and Ajiwe Sunday Adegoke.
EFCC had on Tuesday placed advertisement in national dailies denying the allegations leveled against it’s officials but the ex-bankers on Wednesday in seperate statements insisted that they stand by their words.
Westerndailynews reports that in separate affidavits deposited at a federal High Court, Ibadan by Ayodele Festus Adeyemi, Isaac Akano, and Ajiwe Sunday Adegoke through the Chambers of their counsel, Barrister Micheal Lana, the defendants in the case alleged that Mr Hammadama Bello who was asked to investigate the case insisted that he must benefited from the scam, hence asked them to raise N96m to set them free.
According to the affidavit, the suspects told him that they didn’t benefit from the alleged dirty Naira note because it had been deposited with the CBN for over four years before the allegations.
The affidavit reads; “He told us that he was not going to prosecute anybody but if we wanted to go back to our offices that day, each of us must bring N12m each. We told him that as we stood before him, we had no money in our account. He asked for our bank account and we gave him. Immediately, he went to check the account and he found that there was no money there.
“He then said he would detain us there. Upon hearing this, my manager, Mr. Emmanuel told him that he had no money but promised to give him N500,000 and was ready to deposit his international passport. He called his wife and she brought the passport and he set him free but detained us.
“He mentioned names of those who have money in their account and asked them to pay. He said he had done his investigation and discovered that Mr. Adeyemi, Akano and Aleshe have properties everywhere. As a result, he took us to Abuja and kept us in a German cell.
“We were kept in an underground cell with no windows such that one cannot know the difference between day or night and the heat was so unbearable that no human being can last for a month alive there. In December 23, 2014, Hammadama Bello came to us in the cell and asked us whether we wanted to be released from the hell of a dungeon in which we were and send Christmas with our families, if so we must pay N1m. At that time, we were ready to do anything so as not to die in that place.
“We all begged him to take N500,000 for him to at least release us to spend the Christmas out of that deadly cell. He assured that there would no be prosecution because president at that time, Goodluck Jonathan had told that that dirty money issue was more of administrative problem of Central Bank of Nigeria, but he has the power not to release us on bail.”
The defendants further said they paid N6million to Hammadama Bello through a banker, Ademola Oni working with Wema Bank.
“After payment of the money, Hammadama Bello and his lawyer started mounting pressure on us that if we do not want prosecution, we must pay the money. That was when we discovered that in order to force us to pay the N12m he had obtained an order from the Oyo state hight court and seized not only our properties but properties of our wives. Which he has rented out through an estate agent, Festus Azikagbon and he is collecting rent.”
The ex-bankers urged president Buhari to investigate as brought to book culprits in the matter.
Reacting to the allegations, Hammadama Bello said it was all lies, referring our correspondent to the advertisement placed in national dailies.
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