DSS officers reportedly releases CBN deputy governor Kingsley Obiora from their custody

According to reports, Dr. Kingsley Obiora, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in charge of Economic Policy, has been freed from custody by the Department of State Services (DSS).

A source close to Obiora told The Nation that on Saturday afternoon, September 2, 2023, he was freed from the DSS’s custody.

The source also acknowledged that Obiora spent a few days with the DSS, but he claimed to be unaware of what happened while Obiora was being held by the DSS.

The source, a CBN official, added that the workers of the top bank, many of whom were already concerned that they were being targeted especially, cheered the Deputy Governor’s release from custody.

The Jim Obaze-led Special Investigations Panel, according to a CBN representative,

“requested for several documents from many departments as part of its investigation to unravel what transpired in the CBN under Emefiele”.

He also revealed that the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank (NMFB) and Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) had received letters from the Special Investigation Panel requesting documentation.

According to reports, NIRSAL Plc and NMFB officials are rushing to turn in all the necessary paperwork. In fact, NMFB has recently intensified its efforts to recoup the COVID-19 Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) funds distributed to impoverished households.

President Tinubu created a special commission headed by Jim Obazee to probe the CBN after Emefiele was detained and charged with financial malfeasance in late July.

The panel has been interrogating the CBN deputy governors and other top bank executives as part of this continuing audit.

“Obiora, like the other Deputy Governors, has faced intense questioning from the panel prior to his detention,” the CBN source claimed.