Former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
Embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday asked an Abuja High Court to strike out the federal government’s case against him, citing the prosecution’s repeated absence from court proceedings.
Emefiele is facing trial before Justice Hamza Muazu on an amended 20-count charge in case number CR/577/2023, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The charges include criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery, obtaining by false pretence, and conferring corrupt advantage—all stemming from alleged procurement fraud during Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor.
The federal government accuses him of unlawfully awarding six contracts worth over ₦1.2 billion between 2018 and 2022 to April 1616 Investment Ltd.—a company linked to Sa’adatu Ramalan Yaro, a CBN staff member alleged to be both a director and shareholder in the company.
Emefiele has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Emefiele’s lead counsel, Mathew Burkaa, SAN, moved the court to foreclose the prosecution’s right to proceed, pointing out that no representative from the prosecution appeared in court.
“This matter was fixed for hearing, and yet the prosecution is absent. They did not appear, nor did they send a representative,” Burkaa told the court.
He revealed that he had been notified by the court registrar—via WhatsApp—that the prosecution had written a letter requesting an adjournment. However, Burkaa raised concerns over the source of the request.
“The application I was shown this morning came from the EFCC, yet this charge was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation. It raises the question—why is the EFCC seeking an adjournment in a case it didn’t file?” he queried.
He criticized the prosecution for seeking an expedited trial earlier, only to delay proceedings now.
“The prosecution had asked for an accelerated hearing, yet no one is here. Meanwhile, my client and I travelled from Lagos to attend this trial,” Burkaa added, urging the court to take decisive action.
Justice Muazu, after hearing the arguments, expressed disappointment over the absence of the prosecution but granted a final chance.
“The court will give the prosecution one last opportunity. If they fail to appear at the next sitting, the court will do the needful,” the judge warned.
The case was subsequently adjourned to October 22 for continuation of hearing.
