Bankers Warehouse To EFCC: Release Our Staff, Money Seized At Enugu Airport

Bankers Warehouse named by two persons arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Akanu Ibiam International airport Enugu in possession of $2.8million has told the antigraft agency that they are into legitimate business.

The company says the two men seized in possession of the money are members of their staff and the money being ferried belongs to Union Bank Plc.

In a letter sent to the Deputy Governor of the CBN, Ade Sonubi, the Bankers Warehouse decried the treatment meted out on its officials by the EFCC.

The letter by Bankers Warehouse read;

”We want to convey to you that once again, we are facing a challenge with one of the security agencies (this time the EFCC), who detained our couriers yesterday evening while attempting to board an Arik air flight from Enugu to Lagos, conveying currency on behalf of Union Bank. They were transporting US Dollar.

When questioned, they presented their Identity cards, identifying themselves as Bankers Warehouse employees on official CIT movement and also provided the letter of authority issued by the bank, covering that movement.

Despite the information provided, the EFCC insisted on detaining our employees, taking possession of our goods and threatening to confiscate the currency, without making themselves available to our senior managers, or other agencies familiar with our movements.

This evening our attention has been drawn to an article in the Daily Trust Online, as well as the EFCC website https://efccniqeria.orq, where our staff have been paraded as suspected money launderers; exposing the identity of our client and portraying our company in not just a negative, but criminal light.

The company called for the CBN’s intervention as it sought clarity on the legitimacy and mode of operation of legitimate CIT operators.

”We seek your intervention as our regulator, to address this issue of constant harassment of our staff, by security agencies, which constitutes a risk that could threaten the lives and safety of our employees and the cargo they are tasked with conveying.

Also, kindly recall that the CBN had previously called a meeting of stakeholders regarding this issue in the past. It may be prudent to engage the stakeholders once again, to provide clarity on the legitimacy, coverage and mode of operations of registered CIT operators.