Emefiele withdrew $6.23m election funds with forged papers, witness testifies in trial
An Assistant Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bashirudden Muhammed Maishanu, on Thursday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that $6.23 million was allegedly withdrawn from the apex bank using forged documents during the 2023 general elections.
Maishanu, the 11th prosecution witness in the trial of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, testified before Justice Hamza Muazu that the cash was withdrawn on February 8, 2023, from the Garki Branch of the CBN, purportedly for election observers and logistics.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness said he was approached in early January 2023 by one Alhaji Ahmed, who claimed to be working with a Special Committee in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and said the transaction was authorised by the President.
He told the court that after Ahmed presented what he claimed was presidential approval, he requested that the payment be made in cash and sought assistance in processing the withdrawal, prompting the witness to recommend a friend to accompany him.
According to Maishanu, the friend later withdrew the $6.23 million in cash from the Garki Branch of the CBN and subsequently informed him that Ahmed left with $2.5 million, while the remaining sum was left with him and two others.
The witness said he became suspicious due to the volume of cash involved and later discovered that the documents used for the transaction were forged, adding that the money was meant to cover election-related expenses, including payments for election overseers.
He told the court that the CBN has rigorous approval processes for both cash and electronic payments, insisting that such a transaction could only have occurred through the use of forged documents, as all officials involved in the process could be traced through internal records.
Justice Hamza Muazu adjourned the matter until Friday, January 30, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
