There was mild drama at the Federal High Court Ibadan on Wednesday when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned the second batch of the 22 officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria and some other commercial banks accused of theft and recirculation of defaced and mutilated currencies of over N8billion into the public.
A cash officer with one of the commercial banks, Ayodeji Aleshe, who was one of the 14 accused persons arraigned before the court, claimed that he did not understand English Language when the charges were read to him.
The court, however, provided and interpreter, who explained the charges to him one after the other in Yoruba Language. But he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The lead counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) told newsmen after the court sitting that Aleshe purportedly escaped custody after his arrest before the arraignment
Mr. Jacob also stated that the court would form an opinion on Aleshe on why a cash officer of a first generation bank claimed he did not understand English, yet he allegedly has a credit balance of N132million in one of his bank accounts, apart from other property.
At the court on Wednesday, 14 suspects, who appeared before the trial judge Justice Adeyinka Faaj, comprised 3 CBN staff and 6 staff of three commercial banks.
A third batch is made up of 3 CBN staff and 2 from the commercial banks. The court fixed June 8, to hear the bail applications but meanwhile, the suspects will be remanded in prison custody.
The court was however lenient on a nursing mother Kehinde Fadokun who will be kept at the custody of the state criminal investigation department.
