By Wisdom Patrick, Lagos
Under-cover operatives at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force, in Lagos have threatened to declare the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Gulf Bank Nigeria Plc, Mr. Babajide Rogers and the erstwhile Executive Director, Operations, Ayedun Fasina, wanted should the duo fail to report at the department.
The Police stated that huge funds are lost to Bank fraud because top executives of banks, in collaboration with outsiders, perpetrate fraud by manipulating records to deceive banks inspectors.”
The Commissioner of Police (CP) SFU, Tunde Ogunsakin, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos at his 2013 score-card presentation, added that the Nigeria Police shall exploit its relationship with international security agencies across the globe, including INTERPOL to track down the suspects.
The Police chief stated further that SFU have been able to trace over N15Billion, “we have recovered N288Million, and we shall within the next three weeks, recover N3Billion.”
Our Correspondent, also gathered that some undisclosed off-shore accounts used in siphoning millions of US dollars belonging to the moribund Gulf Bank, “actually led to the premature death of Gulf Bank.”
“We are at the verge of commencing investigation on the off-shore aspect of this fraud. We shall partner with the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NIFIU), EFCC, NDIC, CBN and other relevant agencies and regulatory authorities.”
Ogunsakin posited that, if so much money which was allegedly stolen from a dead bank, “can be recovered, then it should not be too difficult for fraud committed against the banks that are alive, to be detected and the monies involved, recovered.”
The Police boss said SFU has been able to garner clues on some unreported fraudulent funds transactions, which are still under investigations. ” We shall invite some blue chips suspects to clarify their involvement in the fraud. The perpetrators of this Gulf Bank fraud were callous, wicked and they stole with impunity.”
