House To Probe Alleged Missing N2.1bn At Minting Company

Last week, the nation was jolted to the news of over N2 billion of newly printed N1000 notes missing from the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC). This discovery reportedly led to the Managing Director of the agency, Ehi Okomoyon, and its Head of Security, Emmanuel Bala, been asked to proceed on compulsory leave by the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Lamido Sanusi, who has also launched an investigation to ascertain the quantity of money missing.

CBN Governor: Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
Likewise, the Chairman, House Committee on Banking and Currency, Mr. Chukwudi Onyereri, has disclosed that the committee had already waded into the matter with a view to finding out the truth of the matter.
He said due to "conflicting information" before the committee on the theft, it had opted to invite Sanusi and the management of  the NSPMC.
He said, "The MD, before his suspension, said the missing amount was about N1.5m. But, the governor of the CBN said it was about N2bn. As a House, we have a responsibility to find out what exactly happened. That is the right step to take now. We shall invite all the parties."
However, the Media Adviser to the NSPMC, Mr. Obi Adiele, has revealed that contrary to the general belief that about N2.1bn was missing, the actual amount was N900, 000.
He said, "The amount reported is false. It was not N2.1bn that was stolen. What happened was that there was a security breach and one of the security operatives was arrested with about N900,000 in Lagos two weeks ago.
"An investigative audit panel has been set up to find out what really happened and they are still carrying out investigations. Their report will be ready by January."