By Eric Elezuo

The last is yet to be heard of the unfolding drama regarding the use of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature to withdraw a whopping $6,230,000 from the Central Bank of Nigeria under the watch of Mr. Godwin Emefiele as the apex bank’s boss. So far, everyone involved in the withdrawal has denied complicity.

While the former CBN governor maintained that the document that authorized the withdrawal emanated from the presidency, the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, manned by Boss Mustapha at the time, the former SGF has vehemently denied knowledge of the both the document and the withdrawal.

When the former SGF appeared early last week, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, to testify in the ongoing trial of ex-Governor of CBN, he denied knowledge of everything relating to the transaction, stating that all the time he served in government, he never heard of the term “Special Appropriation Provision”.

He added that the two terms familiar to him are just “Appropriation” and “Supplementary”.

Stressing his defence, Mustapha also said that in all the correspondences he ever received from former President Buhari, he never concluded with “Please accept with my highest regard,” saying the signature was a failed attempt at reproducing Buhari’s signature.

He further informed that the Federal Government has no business with the payment of foreign election observers. To him, the Federal Executive Council decisions are not transmitted by letters.

Recall that Emefiele is standing trial before Justice Hamza Muazu on a 20-count amended charges bordering on corrupt advantages, conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery and obtaining by false pretenses to the tune of $6,230,000.

A Special Investigator, Mr Jim Obazee, had late last year claimed that video footages showed Emefiele and Mustapha dragging $6.2 million cash from the vault of the CBN. Findings by Obazee subsequently led the federal government to amend the criminal charge against the former CBN boss before Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the new charge, Emefiele was alleged to have engaged in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence, when he served as the apex bank’s boss. Among the allegations was that Emefiele forged a document titled: Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions dated January 26, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and purported same to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (AGF). Emefiele was also alleged to have, on February 8, 2023 know- ingly obtained, by false pretence, $6,230,000.00 by falsely representing that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation vide a letter dated January 26, 2023 with Ref No. SGF 43/L.01/201 requested the CBN to provide a contingent logistic advance in the sum of $6,230,000 “in line with Mr. President’s directive.”

He was accused of impersonating the SGF to illegally obtain a sum of $6.2m.

Mustapha, who appeared as Prosecution Witness 2, said he knew nothing about the transaction up till the time he left office at the end of May 2023, concluding that having served for five years and seven months, the document in contention did not emanate from the office of the then President Buhari.

Mustapha’s defence appeared slightly at variance with the report of the special panel tasked with probing the Emefiele and the CBN, and chaired by Jim Obazee, the special investigator, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu

The report had disclosed that the money withdrawn from the foreign payments office, Abuja branch of the CBN, was “purportedly for foreign election observer missions”.

The panel said the “unlawful removal” was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) “which was viewed and preserved”.

The report said a letter, dated January 23, 2023, with the signature of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was sent to Mustapha, with the caption ‘Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions’.

The panel said it was later found that “Buhari’s signature appeared to have been forged”.

However, a First Prosecution Witness (PW1), Onyeka Ogbu, told the court how the ex-CBN governor approved the payment of $6,230,000 in cash for international election observers in the 2023 general election.

Ogbu, the Deputy Director of Branch Operations at the apex bank, reviewed and approved the $6.2 million payment request for disbursement to some international election observers prior to the 2023 general election. The senior CBN official also insisted that the transaction was not fraudulent to the best of his knowledge, and that the money in dispute was paid to a staff in the office of the secretary to the government of the federation.

Mustapha, however, denied that the government of Muhammadu Buhari or his office had anything to do with the said transaction.

Testifying, Ogbu said, based on the approval, the said $6.2million was paid to one, Jibrin Abubakar, nominated by the Office of the SGF to collect the money allegedly meant for the payment of the foreign election observers. While under cross examination earlier, Ogbu, noted that the funds were released because the request documents contained evidence of approvals by former President Buhari and Emefiele.

“6,230,000 was paid in cash to Jubrin Abubakar from OSGF, the money was paid in dollars,” he said, adding that he would not have paid the money without authorisation. Ogbu maintained that the transaction was not a fraudulent transaction because the Director Banking Services Department was trying to recover the money.

According to him, payment of the fund was based on the “understanding that it would be refunded,” adding that he has written for times for the return of the money. “The last letter I wrote was in November 2023. Between February and November 2023, we have made efforts to have the money back.

“I am aware that the defendant ceased to be CBN governor in June 2023,” he said, adding that he had made efforts to regularise the transaction.”

Speaking on the structure of hierarchy in the CBN, Ogbu, who pointed out that he did not report directly to the CBN governor but to the Director, Branch Operations, who in turn reported to the deputy governor operations and administration, said it was not usual for the governor to write directly to him. While stating that he never paid any money to Emefiele, nor aware of the $6.2 million was traced to Emefiele’s account, he said, “He (Emefiele) did not come to tell me that I should approve the payment. I only acted on what is on the paper.

Meanwhile, the special investigator appointed by Tinubu, has asked the International criminal police organisation (Interpol) to place three suspects on its watchlist over an alleged fraud of $6,230,000.

The suspects are Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Odoh Eric Ocheme.

The federal government had filed extradition charges against the trio for allegedly forging the signature of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and documents purportedly written by Boss Mustapha, the former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), to induce the payment of $6,230,000 from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“That Adamu Abubakar (now at large), Imam Abubakar (now at large), Odoh Eric Ocheme (now at large), Bashirudeen Maishanu and others also now at large, on or about the 23 day of January, 2023, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, forged the following documents: (1) The Presidency, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Identity Card in the name of Jibril Abubakar; (ii) Letter dated 23 January, 2023 purportedly written by Muhammad Buhari to the Mr. Boss Mustapha; (iii) Letter dated 26 January, 2023 purportedly written by Boss Mustapha to Mr. Godwin Emefiele; (iv) Central Bank of Nigeria Internal Memo dated 31 January, 2023 purportedly written by the Director, Banking Services Department to the Governor, and (v) Central Bank of Nigeria Internal Memo dated 7th February, 2023 purportedly written by the Director, Banking Services Department to the Branch Controller, Abuja, Branch, with the intent that the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja Branch may in the believe that the documents are genuine be induced to pay you the sum of six million, two hundred and thirty thousand United States Dollars ($6,230,000.00) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2)[c] of the Miscellaneous offences Act, Cap. M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010,” the part of the charge sheet reads.

In a letter dated February 12, 2024,  the special investigator asked Interpol to place the three suspects on red notice.

The letter, signed by Eloho Okpoziakpo, the head of operations, office of the special investigator, was addressed to the assistant Inspector-General of Police, National Central Bureau (NCB) and Interpol.

“In the course of the Special Investigator’s assignment, Mr. Odoh Eric Ocheme, (a staff of the CBN) now at large and the other two accomplices, also now at large, were discovered to have conspired and forged documents in the name of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria with which they stole about US$6,230,000 (Six Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars, in cash, from the coffers of the CBN,” the letter reads.

On January 18, 2024, Inyang Ekwo, a judge at a Federal High Court in Abuja, issued a warrant of arrest against the three suspects.

Ekwo issued the order following a motion moved by Celestine Odo, the counsel of the federal government.

With massive denials from everyone named in the scandal, the question still remain apt as to who forged Buhari’s signature? Emefiele, Mustapha or persons at large? Time will sure tell.