During a session at the Abuja High Court, CP Okpoziakpo Eloho, the 14th prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, testified that former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele was not a beneficiary of the $6.2 million fraud. Emefiele is currently facing charges including criminal breach of trust, forgery, and abuse of office, to which he has entered a not-guilty plea.
Eloho, who headed the police investigation into the matter, noted that Emefiele maintained he never approved the funds or received any communication from former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. The investigation identified Jibril Abubakar as the individual who collected the cash from the bank; however, authorities discovered that Abubakar was not actually employed by the SGF office as he had initially claimed.
The witness further clarified that none of the individuals interrogated during the probe linked Emefiele to the misappropriated funds. While bank staff member Bashirudeen Maishanu confessed to the theft, Eloho was unaware if Abubakar had faced legal proceedings. The witness acknowledged that standard internal procedures at the CBN were ignored during the transaction process.
Addressing the allegations of signature forgery, Eloho confirmed that Jim Obaze had obtained a statement from Boss Mustapha, who denied signing the authorization documents. Regarding potential forensic analysis, the witness suggested that a check on Emefiele’s signature would have been appropriate, similar to the process used for Mustapha. The trial, presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu, was subsequently adjourned for further proceedings.
