By Obinna Uballa
Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday urged an Abuja High Court to foreclose the prosecution in his ongoing trial over alleged procurement fraud.
Emefiele is facing trial before Justice Hamza Muazu on a 20-count amended charge filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, marked CR/577/2023. The federal government accuses him of criminal breach of trust, conferring corrupt advantage, forgery, conspiracy, and obtaining money by false pretences during his tenure as CBN governor.
Among the allegations, prosecutors claim Emefiele used his position to award contracts worth N1.2 billion to April 1616, a company linked to a CBN staff member, Sa’adatu Ramalan Yaro, between 2018 and 2022. He has pleaded not guilty.
At Tuesday’s sitting, Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), asked the court to dismiss the case, citing the absence of prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) and any representative from the prosecution team.
Burkaa noted that although he was informed through the registrar that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had written to seek an adjournment, the case was instituted by the Attorney-General’s office—not the EFCC. He argued that Emefiele and his lawyers travelled from Lagos for the hearing and that the prosecution had previously requested an accelerated trial.
In his ruling, Justice Muazu gave the prosecution “one last opportunity” to appear, warning that the court would take necessary steps if they failed to show up on the next date. The matter was adjourned until October 22 for continuation of hearing.
