Uboh had alleged that the CBN under the watch of Mr Emefiele conspired with NNPC to divert Two billion, Five Hundred and Sixty-four Million United States Dollars($24,263,008.56 USD in 2015), money he claimed was expected to be shared through FAAC in January 2016 to the three tiers of government.
Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank Of Nigeria(CBN), has filed a defamation suit against George Uboh, the chairman of George Uboh Whistleblowers Network (GUWN).
The suit is coming on the heels of the bail granted George Uboh on Friday by the Chief Magistrate of the Upper Area Court sitting in Zuba, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The bail did not materialize, however, because no sooner had he been granted bail as regards the Ned Nwoko allegations than the police prosecution pressed another charge, brought by Emefiele, against him. Consequently, Uboh was not set free and he has since been remanded in Suleja prison.
Meanwhile, Uboh was the first to file a suit against Emefiele. In a case with the Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/419/2019 which has Uboh as the sole plaintiff and Godwin Emefiele, The Senate President, The Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria and The President Federal Republic of Nigeria as Defendants. Through the suit, filed at the Federal High Court , Abuja, Uboh had asked the court to restrain the Senate from exercising its ' confirmational' powers in regard to the re-appointment of 1st Defendant(Emefiele) by the fourth Defendant (the president of Nigeria).
Despite obtaining exparte order for the case against Emiefiele, the apex bank governor has yet to answer to the pending lawsuit and the Senate eventually confirmed Emefiele for a second term in office.
In the lawsuit filed against Emefiele by Uboh, a copy of which was sent to SaharaReporters, Uboh had alleged that the CBN under the watch of Mr Emefiele conspired with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to divert Two billion, Five Hundred and Sixty-four Million United States Dollars($2,564000000 USD in 2015), money he claimed was expected to be shared through Federal Account Allocation Committee(FAAC) in January 2016 to the three tiers of government.
He also alleged that the apex bank boss in 2017 alone, under his watch under-declared and under-remitted $760,000,000:00 USD exchange gains which accrued from Bureaux De Change (BDCs) to Federation account through Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Awka.
He further accused the governor of shunning Treasury Single Account(TSA) policy as rolled out by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
He added that they (Whistle-blowers) are interested in how funds generated by Federal Government are being expended on Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs pursuant to the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
“We are a Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organization interested in the way and manner Federal Government funds are being expended at MDAs pursuant to the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
“We are calling on Nigerians on the homeland and in the Diaspora to ask Emefiele to account for and return $2.5 Billion USD to Treasury Single Account in line with President Buhari’s TSA policy rolled out in 2015, and security agencies to arrest Emefiele within 72 hrs,” he said.
Uboh disclosed that he had written to Emefiele several times to explain and disclose to public how the money disappeared but failed to act, saying he did that in the interest of the public and whistleblowers within and beyond the CBN who have furnished his organisation germane information on the financial malfeasance perpetrated in the apex bank under the watch of Emefiele.
According to him, the CBN under Emefiele’s watch in collusion with NNPC denied the three tiers of government revenue from crude oil and gas from May 2015 to June 2016 (14 months), but diverted over $1.78 billion USD through fake accounts.
He explained further, “On Wednesday, April 3, 2019, I, Dr. George Uboh, the undersigned, in my capacity as Chairman George Uboh Whistleblowers Network (hereinafter GUWN), wrote Godwin Emefiele a letter with reference no. GUWN/CBNEMEFIELE/030419/01, captioned: “REQUEST TO REMIT OVER $2,564,000,000FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUNDS MISSING UNDER YOUR WATCH TO TSA”.
“The aggregate of the above funds missing under your watch in a fraudulent manner is over $2,564,000,000 USD.” I asked Emefiele to remit the funds to TSA in 7 days.”
However, rather than answering to the pending suit against him which Ugoh had gotten exparte order to serve; Emefiele, via substituted service, constituted malicious prosecution aided by Tony Michael, DIG of police investigation.
Uboh was later arrested by The Force Criminal Investigations Department(FCID) earlier this month for SaharaReporters released full transcript of audio conversation between Emefiele and other top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria frantically exploring means to cover up N500billion fraud.
