$6.23m was withdrawn from CBN vault for fake election observers during Emefiele’s tenure – EFCC witness tells court
An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigator told a Federal Capital Territory High Court on Monday how $6.23 million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s vault in February 2023 under the guise of funding foreign observers for that year’s general election — funds the commission describes as having been obtained through forgery and fraud.
An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigator told a Federal Capital Territory High Court on Monday how $6.23 million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s vault in February 2023 under the guise of funding foreign observers for that year’s general election — funds the commission describes as having been obtained through forgery and fraud.
Chinedu Eneanya, an assistant commander with the EFCC and the 13th prosecution witness in the trial of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, told the court that investigations revealed the funds were removed from the apex bank’s coffers for what he described as a “purported” election observer exercise. Documents authorising the release were recovered from the bank, and individuals linked to the transaction were questioned, he said.
Eneanya told the court that a forensic examination of those documents found that signatures attributed to the late President Muhammadu Buhari and then-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had been forged to facilitate the withdrawal. Earlier testimony from a former CBN official confirmed that the $6.23 million was withdrawn in cash in a single day.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Matthew Burkaa, however, Eneanya acknowledged that no forensic test was conducted on Emefiele’s own signature. He also confirmed that none of the five CBN officials who endorsed the internal memo authorising the transaction is currently standing trial. The bank suspended them. When pressed on whether investigations showed Emefiele personally received the funds, Eneanya said a lawyer, Ifeanyi Omeke, had claimed to have received money on behalf of the former governor, but that Emefiele had not been questioned on that specific allegation.
Proceedings took a contentious turn when the prosecution failed to present further witnesses despite the defence indicating readiness to continue. Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo told the court that subpoenas had not yet been issued for the remaining witnesses, who are based in Benin and Lagos and outside the court’s immediate jurisdiction.
Defence counsel seized on the delay, warning that if the witnesses failed to appear, it would apply to have the prosecution’s case foreclosed. “This is an antic for the prosecution to put maximum hardship on the defendant,” he said. Oyedepo opposed the request, saying it was an attempt to obstruct the prosecution from presenting its full case.
Trial judge Hamza Muazu directed both parties to reserve their arguments for final written addresses and ordered the prosecution to work with the court registrar to issue the necessary subpoenas. The case was adjourned to Tuesday.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 20-count amended charge of criminal breach of trust, forgery, obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud, and conspiracy. He has denied all charges.
