Fakoyejo OlalekanThe Chairman of the George Uboh Whistleblowers Network, George Uboh, said he was detained for 101 days by Godwin Emefiele for exposing his alleged involvement in a forex scam.
Uboh said Emefiele detained him in 2019, the same day the Senate was screening and clearing the suspended central bank governor for his second tenure.
His statement comes after Emefiele was suspended on Friday and arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), as President Bola Tinubu starts his house cleaning.
According to Uboh on Monday, 13 June, he said Emefiele was involved in forex fraud of over $3 billion. Following his allegation against Emefiele, he was arrested on 15 May 2019.
He revealed that the judge refused to hear his bail application and after eventually meeting his administrative bail requirement, the DIG, Mike Ogbizi, verbally denied him bail.
Uboh said during Emefiele’s tenure as the governor of the CBN, no one could criticise the head of Nigeria’s financial regulator.
“While the media is replete with reports of Emefiele’s corruption post-arrest, pre-arrest, however, no Nigerian dared criticise the Almighty Emefiele. George Uboh Whistleblowers Network (hereinafter GUWN) exposed Emefiele’s corruption regarding forex fraud of over US$3 billion via letters written to Emefiele on or about April 1, 2019.
“On May 15, 2019, the day Emefiele appeared before the Senate for screening and clearance for his second tenure, I was arrested in my Maitama office. I was detained for 101 days for defamation of Emefiele’s rotten character.
“The then Chief Judge, FCT, Ishaq Bello refused to hear my bail application. DIG Mike Ogbizi verbally denied me bail after I fulfilled the administrative bail granted to me by his men at Force CID,” Uboh told the press.
He suggested that President Bola Tinubu’s administration should protect whistleblowers, as they are critical to winning the battle against corruption in Nigeria.
Uboh also asked that whistleblowers should be compensated for their role in fighting corruption, “We humbly request that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR direct law enforcement agencies to work with whistleblowers in order to solve crimes swifter, trace and recover mind-boggling funds stolen or trapped.
“Whistleblowers play a vital role in the fight against corruption, and it is crucial to protect them from adverse treatments and compensate them,” Uboh said.
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