The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, has requested an independent probe into a story of huge financial fraud, theft and official documents manipulation to the tune of about N500bn which was purportedly ploughed into a Dubai investment and had gone awry.

But in a release issued by its Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, CACOL stated, “We would recollect how a popular Online Newspapers, reported a scoop involving Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and his Deputy Edward Lametek Adamu and the Director for Finance Dayo M. Arowosegbe including one of the Special Advisers to the CBN Governor, Emmanuel Ukeje who were caught on tape discussing how to cover up the loss of over N500billion stolen from the apex bank in a private investment that went bust.

“The tapes revealed how the top officials managing Nigeria’s central bank connived and conspired to cover up financial fraud which has affected the Nigerian economy.

“As conversation rages on about the heist and Emefiele was discussing extensively with top officials of the bank to conceal the loss made with the shareholders’ funds from commercial banks (the monies were reportedly diverted to invest in Dubai to the tune of N500 Billion sometimes towards the end of 2018 and they reportedly lost that investment), Sahara Reporters quoted their CBN sources that, Mr. Emefiele and others in the bank eventually found a way out of their dilemma by diverting funds in possession of the CBN and also printed hard cold cash.

“Hence, CACOL’s calls for the two anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to immediately wade into the matter by thoroughly investigating all allegations surrounding this story and bringing culprits (if any) into justice so as to save this nation from further embarrassment and arrest the drift into financial chaos which the alleged heist was capable of throwing the country into.”