The suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who is currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), has reportedly revealed the names of several prominent Nigerians who allegedly received bribes and favours from him during his tenure.
According to DSS sources who spoke with SaharaReporters, Emefiele has been “cooperating with investigators” and disclosing how he gave money to influential figures such as traditional rulers, army generals, judges and clerics.
Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu, who also suspended Abdulrasheed Bawa, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
Both men are currently under detention and facing interrogation by the DSS.
SaharaReporters further reported that Emefiele had implicated Bawa in a scam involving the redesign of the Naira, Nigeria’s currency, which caused a cash crisis and a shortage of Naira notes in the country.
The DSS sources said that Emefiele was divulging significant information and highlighting major accomplices in the mismanagement of Nigeria’s apex bank.
The source was quoted as saying, “As per Emefiele, he is cooperating with investigators and revealing a lot. Emefiele corrupted and bribed almost every major traditional ruler, army generals, some judges and clerics.
“Almost all the CBN directors are also being quizzed and they too are cooperating.”
Emefiele had challenged Tinubu for the presidential nomination of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, but lost to him in the party primaries.
He had also served as the CBN governor for nine years under former President Muhammadu Buhari, who announced new designs for the N200, N500, and N1,000 Naira notes in 2022.
However, Emefiele and former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, allegedly approached Bawa to suggest the redesign of the Naira to prevent potential money laundering during the 2023 election, which they suspected to be aided by large cash reserves of Tinubu.
A source that spoke with SaharaReporters said, “Emefiele who is currently cooling his feet in the cell of the DSS is the reason why the EFCC chairman has been detained overnight. Emefiele who is cooperating with the DSS claimed that Bawa was the one who raised a memo to former President Muhammadu Buhari, asking that the Naira should be redesigned to stem money laundering during the 2023 election.
“Bawa confronted him that he (Emefiele) and the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Malami were the ones that came to him to raise the memo because they suspected Tinubu had warehouses stuffed with naira notes.”
