Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Tuesday appeared at the FCT High Court, Maitama as a prosecution witness in a $6.2 million alleged fraud case.
The fraud case involves former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
During his appearance in court on Tuesday, Mustapha said he knows nothing about the transaction in question, and the document said to have given approval for the money to be withdrawn from the CBN did not originate from him or the office of the President.
News360 Info recalls Emefiele is said to have impersonated the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to illegally obtain a sum of $6.2m from the CBN for the alleged payment of foreign election observers.
According to the amended charge sheet, marked CR/577/2023, Emefiele, on February 8, 2023, connived with one Odoh Ocheme, who is now on the run, to obtain $6.2m from the CBN, claiming that it was requested by the SGF “vide a letter dated 26th January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201.”
According to the Economic and Finacial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Emefiele allegedly claimed that the SGF requested the CBN to release “a contingent logistic advance in the sum of $6,230,000.00 in line with Mr President’s directive.”
However, the EFCC claimed Emefiele lied intentionally about the request.
In denying the said document, Mustapha told the court on Tuesday that in all the correspondences he ever received from former president Muhammadu Buhari, he never concluded with ” Please accept with my highest regard”.
He stated that the Nigerian government has no business with the payment of Foreign Election observers as that is the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Under cross-examination, the former SGF said during his time in office, he had 6 permanent secretaries and never sent any one of them to the CBN to receive money.
This contradicts an earlier submission in court on Monday by an official of the CBN, Michael Onyeka Ogbuwho who had said the amount in question was given out in cash to an official from the office of the SGF, named Jibril Abubakar following approvals by President Buhari and CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele following a request by the SGF.
The testimony by Mustapha on Tuesday, however, implies that the signature of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari was forged by those who withdrew $6,230,000 from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on February 8, 2023.
