Emefiele Never Directed Me to Pay $6.2m to Poll Observers, Says CBN Deputy Director

Insists transaction wasn’t fraudulent, payment made to OSGF staff Mustapha denies knowledge, says document was forgery

A Deputy Director and Head of the Service Delivery Division at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Michael Onyeka Ogbu, yesterday, told a High Court in Abuja, that the embattled former governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, never never directed him to pay the sum of $6,230,000 to some international election observers prior to the 2023 general election.

The senior CBN official also insisted that the transaction was not fraudulent to the best of his knowledge and that the money in dispute was paid to a staff in the office of the secretary to the government of the federation.

But former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, while giving evidence in the alleged $6.2 million fraud trial of Emefiele, denied that the government of Muhammadu Buhari or his office had anything to do with the said transaction

Emefiele is standing trial on an alleged 20-count amended charge, preferred against him by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

A Special Investigator, Mr Jim

Obazee, had late last year claimed that video footages showed Emefiele and Mustapha dragging $6.2 million cash from the vault of the CBN.

Findings by Obazee subsequently led the federal government to amend the criminal charge against the former CBN boss before Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the new charge, Emefiele was alleged to have engaged in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence, when he served as the apex bank's boss.

Among the allegations was that Emefiele forged a document titled: Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions dated January 26, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and purported same to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (AGF).

Emefiele was also alleged to have, on February 8, 2023 knowingly obtained, by false pretence, $6,230,000.00 by falsely representing that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation vide a letter dated January 26, 2023 with Ref No. SGF 43/L.01/201 requested the CBN to provide a contingent logistic advance in the sum of $6,230,000 “in line with Mr. President's directive.”

Testifying on Monday, Ogbu said, based on the approval, the said $6.2million was paid to one, Jibrin Abubakar, nominated by the Office of the SGF to collect the meant allegedly meant for the payment of the foreign election observers.

While under cross examination earlier, Ogbu, noted that the funds were released because the request documents contained evidence of approvals by former President Buhari and Emefiele.

"6,230,000 was paid in cash to Jubrin Abubakar from OSGF, the money was paid in dollars," he said, adding that he would not have paid the money without authorisation.

Ogbu maintained that the transaction was not a fraudulent transaction because the Director Banking Services Department was trying to recover the money.

According to him, payment of the fund was based on the "understanding that it would be refunded,” adding that he has written for times for the return of the money.

"The last letter I wrote was in November 2023. Between February and November 2023, we have made efforts to have the money back.

"I am aware that the defendant ceased to be CBN governor in June 2023," he said, adding that he had made efforts to regularise the transaction."

Speaking on the structure of hierarchy in the CBN, Ogbu, who pointed out that he did not report directly to the CBN governor but to the Director, Branch Operations, who in turn reported to the deputy governor operations and administration, said it was not usual for the governor to write directly to him.

While stating that he never paid any money to Emefiele, nor aware of the $6.2 million was traced to Emefiele's account, he said, "He (Emefiele) did not come to tell me that I should approve the payment. I only acted on what is on the paper.

Recalling that he had said PD3 had approval of the governor, he admitted that, "Emefiele's name is not on the document. He did not sign the document. What is on the document is instruction from Banking Services. My evidence yesterday was based on the document before the court."

He explained that if he had not seen the signature of the Director of Banking Services he would not have authorised the payment.

According to him, the document showed that it was received at the office of the Director Banking Services on February 6.

"There is no stamp that it was received in the office of the governor. My branch has CCTV of people coming in and going out. There is a footage of where the encasher was collecting the money.

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