Emefiele didn’t receive any part of alleged $6.2m CBN loot, EFCC witness tells court
The prosecution of former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, took a new turn on Thursday after a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission testified before the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
The witness admitted that investigators found no evidence linking the ex-CBN chief to any personal benefit from the alleged theft of $6.23 million from the apex bank.
The witness, Commissioner of Police Okpoziakpo Eloho, who investigated the case, made the disclosure while being cross-examined by Emefiele’s lead counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), before Justice Hamza Muazu in Abuja.
Eloho told the court that although several individuals were investigated over the disappearance of the funds, none of the evidence gathered showed that Emefiele received any portion of the money either in cash or through transfers into his bank accounts.
The former CBN governor is facing prosecution by the EFCC over allegations bordering on procurement fraud, abuse of office and issues connected to the disputed release of the funds.
During Thursday’s proceedings, the police commissioner informed the court that Emefiele, in the statement he made to investigators, denied authorising or approving the release of the $6.23 million.
According to the witness, the former apex bank governor also rejected claims that he acted on any correspondence purportedly sent by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, regarding the payment.
“The defendant denied signing the approval for the release of the money. He also denied receiving any letter from the SGF and stated that the signature on the approval documents was not his,” Eloho told the court.
The witness further disclosed that one Jibril Abubakar appeared before the investigative panel and admitted collecting the $6.2 million from the Central Bank’s Abuja branch.
However, Eloho said investigations later established that Abubakar was not an employee of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation despite his claim to the contrary.
He also acknowledged that none of the individuals questioned during the investigation implicated Emefiele as a beneficiary of the funds.
Asked whether Abubakar had been prosecuted following his confession, the witness said he was unaware of any criminal proceedings against him.
The court also heard that Bashirudeen Maishanu, identified as a staff member of the Central Bank, admitted during interrogation that he participated in the theft of the money.
Eloho, however, said he had no knowledge of whether Maishanu was ever arraigned before any court, adding that he would be surprised if the official had since been promoted despite the confession.
While being shown several documentary exhibits relating to the approval process and release of the funds, the EFCC witness admitted that established administrative procedures within the Central Bank were not followed.
He explained that under normal practice, official correspondence originating from the CBN governor should pass through the deputy governor before reaching subordinate officers, a process he said was not observed in the disputed transaction.
The witness also recalled interviewing Emefiele on December 13, 2023, at the Kuje Correctional Centre, where the former CBN governor denied endorsing the documents authorising the payment.
On the issue of the alleged forged signature of former SGF Boss Mustapha, Eloho told the court that the special investigator, Jim Obaze, was present when Mustapha claimed that his signature had been falsified.
Responding to questions on forensic analysis, the witness agreed that while investigators conducted forensic examinations on Mustapha’s signature, it would have been appropriate to subject Emefiele’s disputed signature to the same forensic scrutiny.
Justice Muazu subsequently adjourned further hearing in the matter until July 3 for the continuation of trial.
