The Second Prosecution Witness, PW2, in the ongoing trial of former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, Boss Gida Mustapha, on Tuesday February 13, 2024 told Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, that neither former President Muhammadu Buhari nor himself raised a memo directing the apex bank to pay the sum of $6,230,000 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars) in cash for international election observers in the last 2023 general election.
Mustapha also told the court he never came across anything about the transaction while he was serving as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and till he left office.
However, details of how the forgery was perfected and the dramatis personae behind the crime are gradually coming into view.
Newsroom Nigeria gathered that apart from Emefiele, a CBN staff and two other Nigerians were also involved in the plot.
In a letter from the Office of the Special Investigator on Monday, 12th of January, to the AIG, National Central Bureau, Interpol, Abuja, the Investigator forwarded a “Request to Watchlist and Placing on Interpol Red Notice, three Defendants involved in a case of Conspiracy and Fraud
1. Adamu Abubakar
2. Imam Abubakar
3. Odoh Eric Ocheme.
The letter written by DCP Elcho Okpoziakpo, Head of Operations in the Office of the Special Investigation, explained that in the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Ocheme, a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) now at large conspired with other two to forge documents in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with which they stole $6.23 million from the CBN.
Okpoziakpo added that ” consequently, a charge was filed and a warrant of arrest have been issued by a Federal High Court, Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/19/2024 between the Federal Republic of Nigeria versus Adamu and two others.
The special Investigator according to the letter, “therefore pray you use your good office to request that the Defendants be placed on Interpol Red Notice with a view to apprehending and repatriating them from any Interpol member state.
The summary of the charges against the Defendants, according the Newsroom Nigeria investigation is that:
On and about 23rd January, 2023, at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, the Defendants forged the following documents:
1. The Presidency,
Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF Identity Card in the name of Jibril Abubakar
2.A letter dated 23rd January, 2023, purportedly written by President Muhammad u Buhari to Boss Mustapha.
3.A letter dated 23rd January, 2023 purportedly written by Boss Mustapha to Godwin Emefiele.
4. International memo dated 31st January, 2023 purportedly written by the Director Banking Operations
5. A CBN memo dated 7th February, 2023 purportedly written by the Director of Banking Services to the Branch Controller, Abuja in the belief that the documents were genuine be induced to pay you the sum of $6.23 million.
Boss Mustapha in Court on Tuesday denied knowledge of Knowing Abubakar, stressing that he had never met him, nor did he ever work for him.
He further said that he knew about the scandal on social media when it was stated that the defendant and himself connived to steal the huge amount of money, and for him to protect and redeem his image and integrity before the world, he then made a Press Release exonerating himself and at the same time encouraged further investigation on getting to the root of the matter.
