- An EFCC witness said investigators found no evidence that Emefiele received the $6.23 million
- The witness also admitted key CBN procedures were not followed
- The court adjourned the trial until July 3
The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, continued on Thursday as a prosecution witness told the Federal Capital Territory High Court that investigators found no proof linking him to the alleged disappearance of $6.23 million from the apex bank.
The witness, Commissioner of Police Okpoziakpo Eloho, who testified for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), made the disclosure during cross examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Mathew Burka (SAN), before Justice Hamza Muazu, Eko Hot Blog gathered.
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Emefiele is standing trial over allegations of procurement fraud and abuse of office filed by the anti graft agency.
While answering questions from the defence, Eloho said the investigation did not reveal that the former CBN governor personally received any part of the missing funds, whether by cash payment or bank transfer.
He also stated that none of the individuals questioned during the investigation claimed that Emefiele benefited from the alleged withdrawal.
According to the witness, Emefiele consistently denied authorising the release of the money. He also maintained that he never received any correspondence from former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, regarding the transaction.
Eloho further told the court that Emefiele rejected the signature on documents linked to the approval of the funds, insisting it did not belong to him.
The police officer disclosed that an individual identified as Jibril Abubakar admitted collecting the $6.23 million from the CBN’s Abuja branch. However, subsequent investigations showed that despite presenting himself as a staff member of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, he was never employed there.
He added that he could not confirm whether Abubakar had been prosecuted over the incident.
The witness also testified that Bashirudeen Maishanu, a CBN employee, allegedly admitted involvement in the theft during interrogation. However, Eloho said he had no information on whether Maishanu had been charged to court, adding that he would be surprised if the official was promoted despite the alleged confession.
During the proceedings, the witness acknowledged that internal administrative procedures were not properly followed in processing the disputed payment. He explained that official documents from the CBN governor should ordinarily pass through the deputy governor before moving to other officials.
On claims that Boss Mustapha’s signature was forged, Eloho said the allegation was made by the former SGF in the presence of special investigator Jim Obaze.
He also agreed that a forensic examination of Emefiele’s signature would have been useful in determining the authenticity of the documents linked to the approval.
Justice Hamza Muazu subsequently adjourned the matter until July 3 for the continuation of hearing.
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