Emefiele didn’t benefit from $6.2m looted in CBN – EFCC witness tells court

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, CP Okpoziakpo Eloho on Thursday told an Abuja High Court that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN, Godwin Emefiele, did not benefit from the 6.2 million dollars fraud.
Eloho,  who is the 14th Prosecution Witness (PW 14), said this during cross-examination by Mr Mathew Burka, SAN,  counsel for Emefiele.
The EFCC charged  Emefiele with criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence while serving as CBN governor.
Specifically, the EFCC accused Emefiele of conferring corrupt advantages on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
At the resumed sitting, Eloho, who led the police investigation into the former CBN boss, stated that Emefiele, in his statement, denied ever giving approval or authorization for the release of the money to anyone.
He also said that the defendant also denied ever receiving any letter from the then Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha or acting on any such letter.
Answering a question, CP Eloho admitted that one Jibril Abubakar appeared before his probe panel during the investigation and that he had collected 6.2 million dollars from the Abuja branch of the CBN.
He also said that none of those interviewed or investigated in respect of the money told the investigators that the defendant benefited in any way.
The CP said that although Abubakar claimed to be a staff member of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), an investigation later revealed that he was never an employee of the SGF.
The witness further stated that, despite Abubakar’s confession that he collected the money from the apex bank, he (witness) is not aware whether Abubakar was tried in any court of law.
Answering a further question, the witness claimed that one Bashirudeen Maishanu, a staff member of the CBN, was also interrogated and confessed to stealing the money.
When shown a series of exhibits, especially correspondence exchanged during the processing, approval and release of the funds, the witness admitted that the protocol was breached.
He said, going by the hierarchy of management at the apex bank, that under normal circumstances correspondence from the CBN governor ought to go to the deputy governor and from there downwards.
“I recall that on Dec. 13, 2023, we were at Kuje correctional centre where the defendant made his statement in relation to his office on the said money.
In response to the former SGF’s statement to the investigators, the witness told the court that the special investigator, Jim Obaze, took the statement and that he was present when the former SGF claimed his signature was forged.
On the forensic examination carried out by EFCC on the signature of former SGF to verify the alleged forgery, the witness said: It would have been desirable to carry out a similar forensic examination on Emefiele’s signature the way it was done to Boss Mustapha.”
There was an objection raised by Burkaa when Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, asked for some exhibits that were not part of the exhibits for the 6.2 million dollars fraud during his re-examination.
Burkaa told the court that Section 215(3) of the Evidence Act forbids such, and that the witness is testifying about the said $6.2 million, not the entire suit.
” The question is not relevant and can not be permitted in re-examination.“
In a short ruling, Justice Hamza Muazu held that there was no ambiguity on the document the witness spoke to.
He held that he does not want the witness to continue his investigation in open court.
Justice Muazu then adjourned until Friday for continuation.