Bankers Warehouse takes up EFCC over suspects arrested with $2.8m cash

Bankers Warehouse has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately release the $2.8 million cash and its employees that were arrested by the commission at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, last Thursday.

The company made the call in a statement on Sunday, insisting the cash was seized and its employees were arrested while carrying out legitimate business of cash movement for one of its banker clients.

The company further said that the employees were arrested while carrying out cash movement of its clients from its Onitsha branch to Lagos despite providing identification details.

The statement reads: “We hereby state emphatically that the movement of this currency was a legitimate exercise, being carried out on behalf of a legitimate financial institution. We emphasise that our employees are in no way criminals, carrying out any act of illegality as the EFCC has tried to portray. The young men whose character and reputation have been deliberately soiled by the EFCC operatives were conducting their legitimate duties as requested by a bank customer of our company.

Read also: Union Bank claims ownership of $2.8m recovered by EFCC at Enugu Airport

“We request for the swift and immediate release of our employees and our customer’s currency, both detained without proper cause. We also demand an immediate retraction by the EFCC and an apology issued to our company and our employees, whose images have been maligned. Our client, who has been unfairly exposed and accused of implied illegality, and whose money is still being improperly held by the EFCC operatives, deserve a very special apology for the disclosure of their business and damage done to their image.”

Bankers Warehouse, a company registered by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to carry out cash movement as well as currency processing, made the call in a statement on Sunday.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now