Emefiele Trial: Witness Claims Responsibility for $2.5m in Alleged $6.2m Fraud Case

CBN official tells Abuja court he was “inadvertently involved” as EFCC prosecutes former governor over procurement and cash withdrawal allegations

📚 Get "Spend Less, Save More" — Click here

By A1 News International | Abuja, Nigeria

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Godwin Emefiele has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that he accepted responsibility for $2.5 million from a controversial $6.2 million cash withdrawal linked to the case.

The testimony adds a new dimension to the high-profile trial being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Witness Accepts Responsibility in Court

The 11th prosecution witness, Bashirudeen Maishanu, a Deputy Director in the Central Bank’s Banking Supervision Department, made the disclosure while testifying before Justice Hamza Muazu at the Maitama High Court, Abuja.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Matthew Burkaa (SAN), Maishanu stated that the disappearance of the funds “rests on me,” adding that he had earlier communicated this position to the investigative panel led by Jim Obaze.

Charges Against Emefiele

Emefiele is facing an amended 20-count charge bordering on:

Criminal breach of trust
Forgery
Abuse of office
Conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence

The EFCC alleges that the former apex bank chief obtained $6.23 million under the pretext that it was meant for international election observers during the 2023 general elections. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Alleged Fraud and Forgery Claims

Maishanu told the court he only realised the transaction was fraudulent after discovering that signatures attributed to former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha were allegedly forged.

“I was inadvertently involved. I did not know it was a fraud,” he said.

Witness Distances Emefiele From Direct Orders

The witness maintained that Emefiele neither gave him direct instructions nor handed him any money.

According to him, all directives came from Eric Ocheme, identified as the former governor’s personal assistant, who is currently untraceable. He added that he did not see any formal approval from Emefiele at the time of the transaction.

📚 Get "Spend Less, Save More" — Click here

Suspicious Disbursement Raises Questions

Maishanu further testified that he became suspicious after $2.5 million was allegedly shared among himself and others without prior agreement.

“It was outrageous. We never negotiated any payment. I thought it was a setup,” he told the court.

He disclosed that part of the funds—about $1.9 million—was paid to a property developer and admitted he failed to officially report the transaction to the Central Bank.

Refund, Suspension, No Prosecution

The witness confirmed he had refunded more than the amount he received to the Federal Government through the special investigator.

Despite this, he is not facing prosecution but has been suspended by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Details of Cash Withdrawal

Earlier in his testimony, Maishanu narrated that in January 2023, an intermediary approached him with claims of presidential approval for the withdrawal.

By February 8, 2023, the sum of $6.2 million was withdrawn in cash from the CBN Garki branch in Abuja. He told the court that the funds were never used for the purpose for which they were allegedly approved.