On Monday February 12, 2024 ,Ogau Onyeka Michael;the First Prosecution Witness, PW1, in the ongoing trial of former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele,told Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, how the ex-CBN boss approved the payment of $6,230,000 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars) in cash for international election observers in the last 2023 general election.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy6Vjd0epDG1coWINbm1JQcp_n9WbFHptelBqlcfmKiHhnTcHhpkBwqhZvuL2pOr-Ljr5e8i4YsLn8eUO-eeVUFjE0CRIi3vIu9IJD1fzvJh7lIUPD-NDFvkH3wtNn-TFWkYH7hv3wBjzk6MQ_LcbbLyqa5yoU5KfuZfxSG7CxVm393sv5RZAFO9mv0g/w640-h480/GGJxwCKXAAAJlwg.jpg)
Michael made the revelation while testifying at the ongoing trial of Emefiele. The former CBN boss is standing trial before Justice Muazu on 20-count amended charges bordering on corrupt advantages, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust, forgery and obtaining by false pretences to the tune of $6,230,000.00 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollar).
At the resumed trial on Monday, Michael, a former branch controller of the CBN, Abuja branch, led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, identified the documents presented to him by the prosecution adding that he worked on the documents.
According to him, on January 8, 2023, a request for payment in the sum of $6,230,000 came to his office and documents for the disbursement of the money were approved by the then CBN boss in cash for international election observers.
“My Lord, all requests for payments are usually channelled to the branch controller and that is my office. And on that day, my Lord, the request to my office was $6,230,000 and my attention was drawn towards it by my office assistant. It came from the banking services department and the memo carried the signature of the Director, Banking Services, with an instruction to the branch controller to pay the sum of $6,230,000 to a staff of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, bearing the name and identity card of the person”, he said.
Continuing, Michael explained that, “it stated that the payment was for election observance and be paid cash in a naira equivalent of the said amount. It further stated that the money should be refunded in the second quarter of 2023 by the Federal Ministry of Finance. My Lord, the document also stated that, ‘find attached the approval of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the payment’.
Also, the memo had an attached approval of the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and that of the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Having gone through the document and satisfied that it met the requirement, I then minuted it to the head of the banking services unit for processing and subsequent payment. Mr. Williams, head of banking services compiled and made the payment on April 8, 2023, and the payment was in cash. I can identify the document because it also carries my signature”, he said.
Oyedepo, while trying to tender all the six documents as exhibits, told the court that two of the documents that had the former SGF and the President’s approval were a photocopy, and therefore sought to tender the remaining four which were original, praying that the remaining two be tendered later in the course of the trial. He also asked the court for a 30-minute stand-down to go to the CBN complex and secure the original copies.
Defence counsel, Mathew Bukka, SAN, objected to Oyedepo’s prayers arguing that since the case was slated for February 12 and 13, he moved that the matter be adjourned till February 13 arguing further that 30 minutes sought by Oyedepo wouldn’t be enough for the prosecution to secure the original documents from the CBN.
After listening to their arguments, Justice Muazu adjourned the matter till February 13, 2024, for continuation of trial.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy6Vjd0epDG1coWINbm1JQcp_n9WbFHptelBqlcfmKiHhnTcHhpkBwqhZvuL2pOr-Ljr5e8i4YsLn8eUO-eeVUFjE0CRIi3vIu9IJD1fzvJh7lIUPD-NDFvkH3wtNn-TFWkYH7hv3wBjzk6MQ_LcbbLyqa5yoU5KfuZfxSG7CxVm393sv5RZAFO9mv0g/w640-h480/GGJxwCKXAAAJlwg.jpg)
Michael made the revelation while testifying at the ongoing trial of Emefiele. The former CBN boss is standing trial before Justice Muazu on 20-count amended charges bordering on corrupt advantages, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust, forgery and obtaining by false pretences to the tune of $6,230,000.00 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollar).
At the resumed trial on Monday, Michael, a former branch controller of the CBN, Abuja branch, led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, identified the documents presented to him by the prosecution adding that he worked on the documents.
According to him, on January 8, 2023, a request for payment in the sum of $6,230,000 came to his office and documents for the disbursement of the money were approved by the then CBN boss in cash for international election observers.
“My Lord, all requests for payments are usually channelled to the branch controller and that is my office. And on that day, my Lord, the request to my office was $6,230,000 and my attention was drawn towards it by my office assistant. It came from the banking services department and the memo carried the signature of the Director, Banking Services, with an instruction to the branch controller to pay the sum of $6,230,000 to a staff of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, bearing the name and identity card of the person”, he said.
Continuing, Michael explained that, “it stated that the payment was for election observance and be paid cash in a naira equivalent of the said amount. It further stated that the money should be refunded in the second quarter of 2023 by the Federal Ministry of Finance. My Lord, the document also stated that, ‘find attached the approval of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the payment’.
Also, the memo had an attached approval of the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and that of the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Having gone through the document and satisfied that it met the requirement, I then minuted it to the head of the banking services unit for processing and subsequent payment. Mr. Williams, head of banking services compiled and made the payment on April 8, 2023, and the payment was in cash. I can identify the document because it also carries my signature”, he said.
Oyedepo, while trying to tender all the six documents as exhibits, told the court that two of the documents that had the former SGF and the President’s approval were a photocopy, and therefore sought to tender the remaining four which were original, praying that the remaining two be tendered later in the course of the trial. He also asked the court for a 30-minute stand-down to go to the CBN complex and secure the original copies.
Defence counsel, Mathew Bukka, SAN, objected to Oyedepo’s prayers arguing that since the case was slated for February 12 and 13, he moved that the matter be adjourned till February 13 arguing further that 30 minutes sought by Oyedepo wouldn’t be enough for the prosecution to secure the original documents from the CBN.
After listening to their arguments, Justice Muazu adjourned the matter till February 13, 2024, for continuation of trial.
This country hennn!
ReplyDeleteIt's well
ReplyDeleteGod of mercy!!! This man should be held by the throat until he confesses what he did to our economy.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again..This kind of person should be sentenced to death by hanging
ReplyDeleteThe drama keeps unfolding.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what more shocking details will emerge.
This isn't ending anytime soon.
Nawa oooo
ReplyDeleteVery serious matter ooo
ReplyDeleteNa wa oo
ReplyDeleteWicked man.
This one is part of the hardship we are suffering today.
ReplyDeleteObviously he was acting under instructions. He was obeying orders from above
ReplyDeleteHe could be acting on orders but he probably inflated the amount for himself. Why pay out such amount as cash if not reasons best known to them to be untraceable π€¨.
DeleteThe more you look, the less you see.
ReplyDeleteI laugh at people who don't see the bigger picture here. All we do is see things from surface.
Nigeria is a complex state which forces whose greed are uncontrollably inhumane.
Una no see the ones wey APC dey do since abi? This one no be news na.
ReplyDeletelol. No be him APC boss tell am to pay?
DeleteLol but wh president approved it too
ReplyDeleteWhy not go after the president
Mehn!!! Nigeria Polithiefcians are heartless.
ReplyDeleteπ€¨π€¨π
ReplyDeleteMumu man, i hope he and all his bosses get to rot in jail and even hell
ReplyDeleteHe is just a shadow of himself now.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that once they get caught they will start having health challenges? It was that Naira swap mess that caught him up. When they said "no money , no money " embezzlement and mismanagement of fund I guess is part of it. The money they mention will always be in millions or billions.
The international observers that did not see the massive rigging. Because they had been paid in cash. It is well.
ReplyDeleteπππππ
ReplyDelete