Bankers Warehouse demands release of employees, $2.8m seized by EFCC

The management of Bankers Warehouse has called on the Financial and Economic Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release the $2.8 million cash and its employees arrested at Enugu Airport on Thursday.

Bankers Warehouse is a company registered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to carry out cash movement as well as currency processing.

The company on Sunday said its employees were arrested while carrying out legitimate business of cash movement for one of its banker clients.

It said the employees were arrested, interrogated and detained at Enugu Airport by the EFCC while carrying out cash movement of its clients from its Onitsha branch to Lagos despite providing identification details.

“The document provided also included a covering note from the bank authourising the team to move the consignment which is the standard practice,” the company said.

“We hereby state categorically that the movement of this currency was a legitimate business carried o on behalf of a legitimate financial institution.

“We emphasise that our employees are in no way criminals carrying out any act of illegality as the EFCC has tried to portray.

“These young men whose character and reputation have been deliberately soiled by the EFCC operatives were conducting their legitimate duties as requested bank customer of our company.

“We request for swift and immediate release of our employees and our customer’s currency both detained without proper cause.

“We also demand immediate retraction by the EFCC and an apology issued to our company and our employees whose images have been maligned.”

The company said its client who has been accused of implied illegality and whose money was still being held by the EFCC operatives also deserves an apology.