The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared the 19 bank Chief Executives axed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) wanted as security reports indicate that they had all gone into hiding.
It was reliably gathered today at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency that all the operatives sent out to monitor the chief executives met blank houses and offices in various parts of the country.
The EFCC it was further gathered is not taking chances as it had placed the sacked Managing Directors on the watch list to forestall their chances of traveling out of the country.
According to a source, the investigation team that visited Lagos where all the commercial banks have their corporate headquarters submitted reports of not seeing any of the suspects despite the fact that letters were sent to their houses and offices that they should show up at Abuja for routine interrogation.
It was said that the report irked the chair person of the agency Mrs Farida Waziri who had no choice than to declare the sacked CEOs wanted “if they cannot obey a simple invitation for questioning,” the source added.
It would be recalled that the EFFC in early March this year had to summon all the bank chief executives to Sheraton Hotel where they were told in plain language that their debt profile was becoming too alarming and that something urgent should be done to stem it.
The CEOs left the meeting and continued the jamboree, while on its part the agency tried as much within its reach to recover some of the bad loans from individuals and corporate bodies.
The source further stressed that one of such debts was the N17billion owed by one Funmi Ademosun, the agency had so far recovered N5billion from the many list of debtors and one Patrick Fernandez was charged to court over a N32billion loan.
Some of those declared wanted are : Mr Sebastian Adigwe, Group Managing Director Afribank PLc; Managing Director of Afribank Trustees Ltd, Mr Ben Nwoji; Mrs Cecilia Ibru, Group Managing Director Oceanic Bank PLc; Felicia Shonubi, Oceanic Bank Trustees Ltd; Dr Berthlomew Ebong, Union Bank PLc; Mr Henry Onyemen, Unoin Trustees Ltd; Mr Erastus Akingbogbola, Group Managing Director Intercontinental Bank PLc; Mr Ayodele Thomas, Managing Director Intercontinental Capital Market Ltd; Mr Okey Nwosu, Group Managing Director FinBank PLc and Mr Alex Duruike, First Inland Securities Ltd.
When contacted the Head, Media and Publicity Mr Femi Babafemi said “the Chairman of the commission has been briefed by the operatives that they had actually fled their houses and homes but we have gone one step already by placing them on the watch list to bar them from leaving the country.”
VANGUARD