After DAILY NIGERIAN exclusive report on the alleged intimidation by Jim Obazee, the Special Investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, has reportedly summoned the leader of the president team.
This newspaper had reported how some top officials at the CBN and other commercial banks alleged witch-hunt and undue intimidation by Mr Obazee’s team, even after his mandate had since expired.
Mr Tinubu, in a letter dated July 28, 2023, had named Mr Obazee, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRC, as the special investigator for the apex bank.
Mr Obazee and his team had submitted their report to the president, indicting the embattled former CBN governor of misappropriation of fund through contract scam and other frauds.
After submitting the report, Mr Obazee’s presidential mandate expired on Friday, December 1, 2023 through a letter sighted by DAILY NIGERIAN correspondent.
In the letter, dated November 29, 2023, and titled: ‘Expeditious conclusion of the Special Investigation into the Operations of the Central Bank of Nigeria’, the President directed the committee to submit their final report on or before Friday, December 1, 2023.
However, DAILY NIGERIAN gathered that months after the expiration of his presidential mandate, Mr Obazee’s team was allegedly carrying out unauthorized raids.
But sources at the ONSA told our reporter that Mr Obazee was summoned after the report.
According to the source, Mr Obazee was asked to return all government property in his possession, halting all operations of the team.
“Jim Obazee and his team were summoned on Friday by the Office of the National Security Adviser and was asked to return all government property in his possession. This includes the official vehicles given to him to aid his operations, and others.
“He was stripped of all his powers and the presidential mandate as the CBN investigator so to speak,” the source disclosed.
However, the ONSA’s Head of Strategic Communication, Zakari U. Mijinyawa, did not return our reporter’s call at the time of filing this report.
