- The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, was taken into custody by Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of Security Service (SSS)
- A few days later, a video was trending on some social media platforms, including WhatsApp, claiming that money was found in Emefiele’s house after his arrest
- Emefiele had been suspended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, June 9, 2023, sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office
A 27-second video which has been shared by several online users appeared to show two men arranging huge piles of money and counting it with a machine.
The posters insinuate that the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s secret police, recently discovered a stockpile of cash in the home of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor.
Old video, and from Sudan
Crossriverhub.ng observed that most social media users who circulated the video are loyalists of President Bola Tinubu — as seen here and here. Also, the clip, apparently showing a dollar currency, is without a sound.
Now, according to The Cable in a publication made on Friday, June 16, the viral video originates from Sudan, a country in North Africa.
The video was traced to April 22, 2019, when a large reservoir of cash — totalling over $7 million — was found at the house of Omar Bashir, Sudan’s ousted president, Arab News reported.
Bashir is presently at the Aliyaa Hospital, Omdurman, after being moved out of prison during recent heavy fighting in the country.
The 79-year-old, who ruled Sudan for three decades, was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019.
DSS reacts to video
In a similar vein, Peter Afunaya, the DSS spokesperson, disclosed that the viral video “is fake”.
He stated this in a terse response to an inquiry about the clip.
