A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Abuja how a withdrawal of $6.23 million was made from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a purported election monitoring exercise during the 2023 general election under the leadership of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the apex bank.
The witness, Commissioner of Police Eloho E. Ekpoziakpho, who testified as Prosecution Witness 14 (PW14) before Justice Hamza Mu’azu, said investigations revealed that the controversial payment was made with Emefiele’s authorisation while he was in office.
Ekpoziakpho, who heads the Special Fraud Unit in Lagos, told the court that he participated in the investigation and interrogation of the defendant alongside Jim Obazee, a special investigator appointed to probe the CBN.
He said intelligence gathered during the investigation indicated that the funds were “fraudulently taken” from the CBN branch in Abuja.
“In the course of the investigation, we got intelligence on the $6.23 million that was taken from the CBN with the governor’s approval. That led to the interrogation of the defendant,” he said.
The witness further told the court that while some individuals questioned during the investigation made confessional statements, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) denied requesting any funds for foreign election observers.
He also identified documents presented in court, including a letter said to have originated from the SGF conveying approval from former President Muhammadu Buhari for the payment. The letter, dated 26 January 2023, was addressed to Emefiele in his capacity as CBN Governor.
Ekpoziakpho said findings showed that the document was acted upon and the funds were subsequently released.
“Our findings showed that the document was honoured. The money was paid, and we recovered the document from the CBN where the cash was processed,” he said.
He also identified records of the payment, stating that the $6.23 million was disbursed on 8 February 2023, as well as an internal memo from the CBN’s Director of Banking Services conveying approval for the transaction.
During proceedings, defence counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), objected to aspects of the testimony, arguing that the witness could not give evidence on documents he did not originate, citing provisions of the Evidence Act.
However, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), maintained that the documents had already been admitted in evidence and that the witness was entitled to explain them in the context of the investigation.
In his ruling, Justice Mu’azu held that while the witness could be questioned on the admitted documents, he could not delve into their detailed contents.
Earlier, the witness confirmed his role in the investigation, stating that he led a team of police officers assigned to assist the special investigator in gathering intelligence, taking statements, and interrogating suspects linked to the case.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until 2 and 3 July 2026 for continuation of trial.
