Onyeka Ogbu, a deputy director of branch operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has told an Abuja high court that Godwin Emefiele, the immediate past CBN governor, took $6,230,000 to pay “international election observers” via dubious means.
Ogbu testified as the first prosecution witness in a lawsuit against Emefiele.
The CBN deputy director said that there were documents related to the disbursement of the said $6,230,000 funds available.
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“On January 8, 2023, a request for payment of $6,230,000 was brought to my attention by the banking services department,” Obgu told the court.
“When I received the document, I found that it was from the Banking Services Department.
“The director, banking services, signed the memo, and the content of the memo contained an instruction for the branch controller to pay the sum of $6,230,000 to a staff of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation with the identity and the name of the person mentioned.
“The memo said the payment was for international election observers and that we should debit an account – Naira forex account – with the naira equivalent of $6,230,000.
“The memo also said that the money will [sic] be refunded in the second quarter of 2023 by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“It went on to say ‘find attached the approval of the governor of the CBN for the payment’.
“The attachment had the approval of the governor of the CBN. It also had the approval of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the request letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“Having gone through the documents and [been] satisfied, I minuted on it and sent for processing and disbursement, which was complied with.
“Payment was eventually made. The $6,230,000 was paid on the 8th of September 2023. The payment was in cash.”
According to the amended charge marked CR/577/2023, Emefiele connived with one Odoh Ocheme on February 8, 2023, to obtain $6.2 million from the CBN, claiming that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation requested it “vide a letter dated 26th January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201”.
Eric Ocheme Odoh, Anita Joy Omoile and Jonathan Omoile were three other people the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared wanted alongside Margaret Dumbiri, Emefiele’s wife, on February 10.
Prosecutors now claim that the SGF had nothing to do with the $6.2 million disbursement.
This is reliant on information from the EFCC’s claim that Emefiele forged a document titled “RE: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE ON FOREIGN ELECTION OBSERVER MISSIONS” and dated January 26, 2023, with the reference number: SGF.43/L.01/201.
Justice Hamza Muazu, the presiding judge, adjourned the hearing until Tuesday.
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