EFCC To Court: Documents Used To Release $6.2m From CBN Under Emefiele Forged

Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, was on Thursday, March 7, 2024, informed by a forensic document examiner seconded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bamaiyi Haruna, that the analysis conducted on the documents used to release $6.2m from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under its then Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in February 2023 showed that they were forged.

It would be recalled that the anti-graft agency had alleged that on February 8, 2023, Emefiele, 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 January 26, 2023, with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/.

The Commission had equally alleged that the former CBN boss, in January 2023, forged a document titled: “RE: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE ON FOREIGN ELECTION OBSERVER MISSIONS,” dated January 26, 2023, with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201.

During the last hearing on the matter, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, had noted that the documents did not emanate from former President Muhammadu Buhari or his office.

The former SGF had also hinted to the court that the FG had no business with foreign election observers.

In his testimony before the judge, Haruna, who is the sixth prosecution witness in the matter, explained that the real signatures of Buhari and the ex-SGF were analysed with the ones in the documents and were not the same.

According to him, “The conclusion from the analysis revealed that the disputed documents showed evidence of forgery and copying art, as the pen movement form and formation of the signatures and the skill of execution were found to be different from that of the specimen signatures A to A2 and B to Bi.

“The form and formation of the signatures marked x and the specimen signature marked B to B1 were found to be different in respect of pen movement impulses, skill of execution, loop formation, and presence of tremors; there were individual characteristics. 

“This is a confirmation that the author of the specimen signatures marked B to B1 does not rhyme with the signature of Buhari on the disputed document marked X.

“Also, the form and formation of the disputed signatures marked X1 and Specimen signature A2 were also found to be different with respect to pen movement impulses. 

“Initial and terminal strokes, loop formation, presence of tremors, and individual characteristics. This is also a confirmation that the author of the specimen signature marked A2 did not rhyme with the signature of Boss Mustapha on the disputed document marked X1.”

The case has been adjourned until March 11.

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