Where is Cecilia Ibru? (The sacked chief executive of Oceanic Bank)

234Next.com ^ | Wednesday, August 26, 2009 | By Ruona Agbroko

[jacknhoo]

Where is Cecilia Ibru?

By Ruona Agbroko

August 21, 2009 01:56PMT

For someone whose intimidating frame, trademark pearls and penchant for A-list events on Nigeria’s social circuit is legendary, Cecilia Ibru, the recently sacked managing director and chief executive officer of Oceanic Bank Plc, is doing an excellent job of going underground.

On Friday August 14, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria announced her dismissal, alongside that of the CEOs and executive directors of Afribank, Intercontinental Bank, Union Bank and Finbank.

Declaring that the CEOs came under the axe for acting “in a manner detrimental to the interest of their depositors and creditors,” Mr. Sanusi also issued a warning: “We will also ensure that officers of banks and debtors who contribute to bank failures are brought to book to the full extent of the law and that all proceeds of infraction are confiscated when legally feasible.”

Nothing at all is known of Mrs. Ibru’s whereabouts since that day. Instead, speculations have been rife. On Tuesday August 19, media reports claimed that security officials botched Mrs. Ibru’s attempt to flee the country in a private plane. Mrs. Ibru was thereafter reportedly flown to Abuja where operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission held her in custody.

The reports also claimed the plane in which Mrs. Ibru was about to leave the country was owned by Jimoh Ibrahim, MD of Global Fleet Industries Limited and one of Oceanic bank’s biggest debtors to the tune of ₦15 billion.

However, none of these events, widely publicised as they are, have been substantiated.

Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the EFCC confirmed in a telephone interview with NEXT yesterday that the rumours of Mrs. Ibru’s arrest were unfounded. He confirmed that the anti-graft agency was also at a loss over her whereabouts.

“That is not true. She is not in the custody of the EFCC. In fact, we are still looking for her,” he said.

For a woman who rose from being a housewife to being widely dubbed ‘Nigeria’s First Lady of Banking’, 62 year-old Mrs. Ibru’s talents are many; she’s shown her opponents that her pearls are the only delicate thing about her person.

[jacknhoo]

She said,“We will also ensure that officers of banks and debtors who contribute to bank failures are brought to book to the full extent of the law and that all proceeds of infraction are confiscated when legally feasible.”

Then,

"...the plane in which Mrs. Ibru was about to leave the country was owned by Jimoh Ibrahim, MD of Global Fleet Industries Limited and one of Oceanic bank’s biggest debtors to the tune of ₦15 billion.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Hey, she still has the $15 million of the dead oil man that I was helping to place in the US! The e-mail said so! Where is she, and where’s my money????