From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been asked to properly investigate the allegation of N96million bribery scam against its investigator in the N8billion mutilated currency scam of 2014 against some bankers.
The demand was made by six staff of a commercial bank accused of defrauding the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the scam. They said the demand was not targeted at fighting the anti-graft agency, but they wanted the commission to investigate the allegation.
But the spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, when contacted for comments on the allegations, said: “The case is before Federal High Court in Ibadan. Let them go and face their trials.”
The ex-bankers are currently standing trial before the Federal High Court, Ibadan. They accused the EFCC of requesting the alleged bribes so that they could be freed. They said initially, eight were asked to pay the bribes, but two allegedly paid.
The ex-bankers, including Ayodele Festus Adeyemi, Isiaka Akano, Sunday Ajiwe, Oyebanji Akeem, Ayodeji Alese, and Demola Oni, made the allegation at a press conference held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the weekend.
They further alleged that each of them paid N500,000 before they were allowed to go on Christmas holidays with their families in December 2014.  They said were  in kept in custody from 2014 till they we’re admitted on bail a year ago.
According to them, they are still standing with the affidavits they swore at Federal High Court in Ibadan, and that their inability to pay N12million each as bribes allegedly to EFCC officals made them to be victimised, while those who had money were purportedly freed.
They insisted that they had no case to answer, as they also alleged that the people who were accused in the CBN report are still living a normal life because they had allegedly paid bribes.
The accused persons, however, urged EFCC, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies to investigate activities of some of the officials that they accused of collecting bribes to free accused persons.
They further alleged that the houses that EFCC seized from them  had been rented out by some officials of the commission and they have purportedly been collecting yearly rents on the property.