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.