During a hearing at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday, Okpoziakpo Eloho, a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), testified that Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), did not receive any proceeds from the $6.23 million stolen from the bank. Eloho, a Commissioner of Police at the Force Headquarters Fraud Unit, confirmed there is no evidence suggesting Emefiele gained financially, either through cash or wire transfers, from those who confessed to the crime.
This testimony emerged during cross-examination by the defendant’s lead counsel, Mathew Burka, SAN. Emefiele is currently facing charges related to procurement fraud and abuse of office before Justice Hamza Muazu. Eloho, who directed the police inquiry, noted that Emefiele consistently denied approving the release of the funds or receiving directives from former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
The witness identified Jibril Abubakar and CBN employee Bashirudeen Maishanu as individuals who admitted to participating in the theft. Eloho expressed surprise that Maishanu had not been prosecuted and might have even received a promotion. Regarding document handling, the witness acknowledged that standard protocols were bypassed during the authorization process for the funds. Emefiele maintained during his interrogation at the Kuje Correctional Centre that the signatures appearing on the relevant authorization documents were not his. Additionally, Eloho noted that while forensic testing was conducted on Boss Mustapha’s signature regarding forgery claims, it would have been appropriate to perform a similar analysis on Emefiele’s signature.
