The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has
arrested a former member of the House of Representatives, Gudaji Kazaure, over
allegations of receiving N70 million from the embattled former governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed to DAILY
NIGERIAN that Kazaure was picked up on Wednesday in Kano, shortly after a state
High Court vacated a restraining order that had previously protected him from
arrest.
An EFCC source revealed that Kazaure allegedly received N20
million in two tranches through an intermediary identified as Mr Eric,
reportedly for the purchase of “Sallah rams.” In a separate instance, he was
said to have received an additional N50 million from Emefiele as a “donation”
following a fire incident at his residence.
Kazaure is currently being held at the EFCC’s Kano office
and may be transferred to Abuja for further interrogation and possible
prosecution.
The arrest marks a dramatic turn in the relationship between
Kazaure and Emefiele. In December 2022, Kazaure publicly accused the then-CBN
governor of financial impropriety, alleging that N89.1 trillion in stamp duty
charges had gone missing under Emefiele’s watch. He claimed to have chaired a
presidential committee set up by former President Muhammadu Buhari to
investigate the matter, but said he was repeatedly blocked from presenting its
findings.
However, the Presidency at the time, through
then-presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, dismissed Kazaure’s claims, stating
that no such funds were missing and that the committee in question had long
been dissolved.
As of press time, neither Emefiele nor representatives of Mr
Kazaure have issued any official statements regarding the arrest.
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