The Federal Government has placed some very senior officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on suspension for fraud running into hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Nation gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari has authorised the suspension of the CBN workers, including a deputy governor and three directors.

A Presidency source said the Deputy Governor was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan and “he was indicted in an ongoing fraud investigation amounting to about $400 million.”

The Presidency official however refused to state the nature of the fraud for fear that further disclosure might reveal the identity of the affected Deputy Governor and directors of the CBN.

However, a statement from the CBN last night confirmed that “a highly sophisticated plot to defraud the CBN by some criminally minded elements has been uncovered and aborted by the bank.”

The statement signed by the bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, said the apex bank suspended the unnamed workers to enable the bank investigate their involvement in the fraud.

“A highly sophisticated plot to defraud the CBN by some criminally minded elements has been uncovered and aborted by the bank. Although preliminary investigations so far have not revealed any accomplices within the CBN, management has decided to place all key personnel involved in the transaction on suspension. This is to ensure a full and unfettered investigation,” the statement explained. The statement added that the matter had been reported to relevant authorities while the apex bank assured the general public that the security of the bank remained intact.

source: The Nation