Emefiele Trial: Police Witness Describes $6.23m Election Observer Fund as ‘Pure Theft’
Emefiele Trial: Police Witness Describes $6.23m Election Observer Fund as 'Pure Theft'
Emefiele Trial: Police Witness Describes $6.23m Election Observer Fund as ‘Pure Theft’
The trial of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, continued on Thursday before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, with a prosecution witness alleging that the release of $6.23 million for a foreign election observer mission was fraudulent.
The 14th prosecution witness, Commissioner of Police Okpoziakpo Eloho of the Force Headquarters Fraud Unit, told the court that the funds, which were released on Emefiele’s instruction, were obtained under false pretences.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness said investigations revealed that the money was fully released with the approval of the former CBN governor.
“The entire money was released. We saw the approval of the governor,” Eloho told the court, adding that the stated purpose of the release was merely a cover for fraud.
“It was pure theft. It was stolen, otherwise obtained under false pretence,” he said.
The witness identified a presidential directive on a foreign election observer mission, tendered as Exhibit PD5, but maintained that investigators found the document was used to facilitate a fraudulent transaction rather than its stated purpose.
“Our finding with regards to PD5 is that it is all fraud,” he testified.
Eloho further disclosed that investigators recovered about $800,000 from the funds allegedly diverted.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), the witness acknowledged that Emefiele, as CBN governor at the time, had authority over the bank’s funds.
He also testified that former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, was interviewed during the investigation. According to him, while one of the documents purportedly originated from the former SGF, Mustapha denied that the signature on another document tendered as Exhibit PD6 belonged to him.
The witness also identified one Jibril Abubakar as the individual who collected the $6.23 million, adding that investigations revealed the staff identity card presented by Abubakar did not belong to him and that he was not an employee of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Responding to questions from the defence, Eloho maintained that due process was not followed in releasing the funds.
“This document is from the governor to the Director of Banking Services. Protocol was not followed. I presume the procedure would have been for the document to pass through the Deputy Governor,” he said.
After hearing the witness, Justice Muazu adjourned the case until July 3, 2026, for continuation of trial.
Emefiele Trial: Police Witness Describes $6.23m Election Observer Fund as ‘Pure Theft’
