Eshioromeh Sebastian
A Commissioner of Police has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele personally approved the controversial payment of $6.23 million for foreign election observers during the 2023 general elections.
Commissioner of Police Eloho E. Ekpoziakpho, who heads the Special Fraud Unit in Lagos, testified as Prosecution Witness 14 (PW14) before Justice Hamza Mu’azu in the ongoing trial of Emefiele on a 20-count amended charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretense.
The witness told the court that intelligence gathered during a probe into the activities of the CBN under Emefiele’s leadership uncovered the alleged fraudulent withdrawal.
“In the course of the investigation, we got intelligence on the $6.23 million that was fraudulently taken from the CBN branch in Abuja that had the governor’s approval when the defendant was the governor,” Ekpoziakpho said. “We did an investigation and that was what led to his interrogation.
The defendant was investigated” .Fresh Details EmergeThe police officer, who participated in the interrogation of Emefiele alongside Jim Obazee, a special investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe the CBN, further revealed that some suspects interrogated during the investigation made confessional statements .
According to Ekpoziakpho, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) denied ever requesting any funds for election observers—a key element of the case, since the withdrawal was purportedly based on a directive from the SGF’s office.
“The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation denied ever requesting for money for election observers, which was claimed the money was meant for.
We wrote to the office and they responded,” the witness told the court .The court also heard that documents were recovered from the CBN’s Abuja branch showing that the payment was processed on February 8, 2023, just weeks before the general election.
The witness identified Exhibits PD1 and PD2 as the payment records and the internal memo from the CBN’s Director of Banking Services authorizing the transaction .
Questionable ApprovalsThe police commissioner identified a document purportedly from the SGF dated January 26, 2023—Exhibit PD6—which allegedly conveyed former President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the payment. The document was addressed directly to Emefiele in his capacity as CBN governor.“
Our findings relating to that document showed that it was honoured. It was treated and the money was paid. We recovered the document from the CBN where the money was cashed,” Ekpoziakpho stated .
This testimony aligns with earlier evidence from previous prosecution witnesses. In earlier court sessions, former SGF Boss Mustapha testified under oath that neither he nor former President Buhari gave any approval for the disbursement, and that the signatures attributed to them were forged .
Mustapha had told the court: “On the face value of the document, I can say having served five years and seven months, this document did not emanate from the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” .
He also pointed to unusual phrasing in the forged document, noting that correspondence from Buhari never concluded with “Please accept the assurance of my highest regard”—a phrase that appeared in the questioned letter .
The Bigger PictureThe $6.23 million withdrawal is just one aspect of the sprawling case against Emefiele, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Chinedu Eneanya, an Assistant Commander with the EFCC who testified as the 13th prosecution witness on Monday, had earlier told the court that “the investigation revealed that $6.23 million was removed from the coffers of the CBN for purported funding of the foreign observers of the 2023 elections” .
Eneanya also confirmed that forensic examination revealed the signatures of Buhari and Mustapha were forged to facilitate the withdrawal .However, under cross-examination, Eneanya admitted that no forensic test was conducted on Emefiele’s signature.
He also confirmed that the five CBN officials who endorsed the internal memo authorizing the transaction were not standing trial—they were only suspended by the bank .Defence Challenges The defence counsel, Matthew Burkaa, SAN, has consistently challenged the prosecution’s case.
During Monday’s proceedings, Burkaa urged the court to foreclose the prosecution if it failed to produce its remaining witnesses .
“If the witnesses do not come tomorrow, we will apply that they should be foreclosed… This is an antic for the prosecution to put maximum hardship on the defendant,” Burkaa argued .
The prosecution, led by Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, opposed the request, describing it as an attempt to shut the prosecution out from presenting its evidence .Justice Mu’azu adjourned the matter until July 2 and 3, 2026, for continuation of trial .
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