Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from calling additional witnesses in his ongoing procurement fraud trial.
Emefiele’s lead counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), argued that the EFCC had already listed 10 witnesses in the proof of evidence submitted to the court and should not be allowed to introduce new ones.
However, the EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), opposed the request, stating that allowing more witnesses was crucial for a fair and thorough trial.
Oyedepo contended that restricting the prosecution’s witness list would amount to a denial of fair hearing.
After hearing arguments from both sides on Monday, Justice Hamza Muazu adjourned the case until March 20 for a ruling on the matter.
Emefiele is facing 20 counts of criminal breach of trust, forgery, and conspiracy in case FCT/HC/CR/577/2023.
He is also accused of using his position as CBN governor to grant unfair and corrupt advantages to two companies, April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
Meanwhile, during Monday’s court session, the 10th witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Salawu Gana, testified that the contract awarded to April 1616 for the procurement of vehicles for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) followed due process and complied with procurement laws and CBN guidelines.
Under cross-examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Gana explained that the CBN’s Procurement Department reviewed the bids submitted, verified the documents, and decided to award the contract to April 1616 because it offered the lowest quotation.
He emphasised that Emefiele approved the contract based on the recommendations of the CBN Tenders Board.
Gana confirmed that the vehicles were delivered and that April 1616 was paid as recommended by the board.
He also noted that Emefiele was not a member of the CBN Tenders Board.
When asked if he or any of the five procurement officers involved in recommending April 1616 had been charged by the EFCC, Gana said no.
He also stated that he had not seen any evidence linking Emefiele to payments from April 1616’s bank account.
According to Gana, Emefiele was neither a director, shareholder, nor signatory to April 1616’s bank account, as confirmed by the company’s registration certificate.
He further testified that Emefiele did not influence the procurement process in any way—whether through phone calls or messages—and that he reported directly to his supervisor, Mr. Ekanem Akpan, not to Emefiele.
During the session, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) presented documents related to the bidding process for 45 different vehicle supply contracts awarded to April 1616, RT Briscoe, and Globe Motors.
In his main testimony, Gana reiterated that April 1616 won the contracts simply because it submitted the lowest bids.
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