The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, resumed on Thursday before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, with a prosecution witness alleging that the release of $6.23 million for a purported foreign election observer mission was fraudulent.
The 14th prosecution witness, Commissioner of Police Okpoziakpo Eloho of the Force Headquarters’ Fraud Unit, told the court that the funds were released on the defendant’s instruction without adequate details regarding the intended mission.
According to a statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the witness testified that: “The entire money was released. We saw the approval of the governor”.
He further told the court that the transaction had no legitimate basis, stating: “It was pure theft. It was stolen, otherwise obtained under false pretence,” he said.
While identifying Exhibit PD5 as a presidential directive relating to a foreign election observer mission, the witness maintained that investigators found no genuine basis for the disbursement.
“Our finding with regards to PD5 is that it is all fraud,” he said.
Eloho also informed the court that investigators recovered part of the money allegedly diverted.
“I can’t remember the figure but it was about Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars,” he said, referring to approximately $800,000 recovered during the investigation.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Mathew Burka, SAN, the witness acknowledged that, as CBN governor at the time, Emefiele exercised authority over the bank’s funds.
He also identified Exhibits PD1 to PD7 and disclosed that the special investigator handling the case interviewed former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
According to the witness, although the letter referenced in paragraph one of Exhibit PD3 purportedly originated from the former SGF, Mustapha denied ownership of the signature appearing on Exhibit PD6.
The witness further testified that the individual who received the $6.23 million was Jibril Abubakar. He said Exhibit PD4 was a copy of Abubakar’s identification card but alleged that investigations showed the staff identity number did not belong to him.
“the staff ID card number does not belong to him. He is not a staff of the SGF, that is what the investigation revealed.”
When asked whether the release of the funds complied with established procedures, Eloho answered in the negative.
“This document is from the governor to the Director Banking Services, protocol was not followed. I presume that the procedure would have been for the document to follow through the deputy governor,” he said.
Following the day’s proceedings, Justice Muazu adjourned the case until July 3, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
