'HOW EMEFIELE MOVED $6.23B FROM CBN COFFERS,' BY EFCC WITNESS

A prosecution witness, Chinedu Eneanya, last Monday told Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, that a staggering $6.23 billion was allegedly diverted from the coffers of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by former Governor Godwin Emefiele.

According to Eneanya, Emefiele moved the sum under the guise of funding foreign election observers for the 2023 general elections.

The case is part of the ongoing trial of the former CBN Governor. Emefiele is facing an amended 20-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charges include criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence.

Eneanya, appearing as the 13th prosecution witness (PW13), was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.

He explained that he was part of the investigative team probing the allegations against Emefiele. According to him, investigators discovered that the funds were withdrawn from the CBN purportedly to finance foreign observers.

He added that individuals linked to the transactions were invited for questioning, while documents authorising the release of the funds were recovered from the bank.

Eneanya testified that the signatures of former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, were forged to facilitate release of the money. Forensic analysis, he said, confirmed the signatures were not genuine.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Matthew Burkaa, SAN, Eneanya disclosed that five CBN officials who signed internal memos relating to the transaction had been suspended by the bank.

Earlier, Burkaa had applied for the foreclosure of the prosecution’s case should it fail to present its remaining two witnesses at the next adjourned date. He alleged deliberate delays aimed at frustrating the defence.

But Oyedepo opposed the application, insisting that the EFCC was not attempting to stall proceedings. Rather, he said EFCC was facing challenges in securing the attendance of witnesses located outside Abuja, specifically in Benin City and Lagos. He urged the court not to shut out the prosecution from completing its case.

Justice Muazu advised both parties to reserve arguments on the foreclosure application until the stage of final addresses. He further directed the prosecution to liaise with the court registrar to facilitate the issuance of subpoenas for the remaining witnesses.