The immediate past Secretary of the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha has accused Godwin Emefiele, a former central bank chief, of moving US$6,230,000 from the bank’s vault using forged signatures of himself and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
The amount was reportedly withdrawn under Emefiele’s supervision on 8 February 2023 to pay international election observers who monitored the 2023 general election in Nigeria on 25 February and 18 March.
In court on Tuesday, Mustapha exonerated himself and Buhari from the fraud. He said he knew nothing about the transaction throughout his nearly six years in office.
He told Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court that the memo directing the apex bank to make the payment did not come from his office or the office of the President (Buhari).
Everything about the document, from the letterhead to the signature, was forged because it is not the responsibility of the President to finance foreign election observers, according to Mustapha.
“My Lord, all through my years in service at my capacity, I never came across such a document. Having served for five years, seven months, I can say this document did not emanate from the office of the President,” he said.
Asked whether the letter for the approval of the money emanated from his office, Mustapha denied any knowledge regarding it.
“My Lord, to the best of my knowledge, that letter did not emanate from my office, not to talk of signing it,” he said.
He also denied having received a single dollar from the controversial transaction.
Mustapha’s testimony compounds the legal woes and charges stacked against Emefiele.
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