Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Godwin Emefiele, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has testified that $6.23 million was withdrawn from the apex bank using what he described as forged documents, as part of evidence presented before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja. The trial is being conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of fraud, forgery and abuse of office.
The witness, Bashirudden Maishanu, an Assistant Director at the CBN and designated Eleventh Prosecution Witness (PW11), told presiding Judge Hamza Muazu on Thursday that the cash withdrawal occurred on February 8, 2023, from the Garki branch of the bank. The withdrawal, he said, was effected allegedly for election-related purposes including payment for election observers and logistics, but was processed through documents he later learnt were forged.
Maishanu told the court he was first contacted in January 2023 by a man identified as Alhaji Ahmed, who claimed to be working with a special committee in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Ahmed said he had been directed by Eric Ocheme, identified as Emefiele’s personal assistant during his tenure at the CBN, to discuss some transactions being processed at the bank. Ahmed then alleged that “presidential approval” had been obtained for the payment and that the next step would be to secure Emefiele’s consent.
According to the witness, Ahmed requested that payment be made in cash and asked Maishanu to either accompany them or recommend someone else to do so. Maishanu said he declined to participate directly but recommended a friend, who, along with a driver, went to the CBN branch to effect the cash withdrawal totaling $6.23 million. After the transaction, Ahmed reportedly left with $2.5 million in cash along with associates, while another $2.5 million was left with Maishanu’s friend and others. Maishanu described the volume of cash as “outrageous” and said the payments had not been formally negotiated or authorised through proper channels.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Matthew Burkaa, SAN, Maishanu admitted that he did not personally witness the signing of the approval documents and could not identify who authorised the withdrawal. However, he maintained that the documents were forged because of the stringent internal procedures that the CBN ordinarily requires for such large cash disbursements, which he said would not be bypassed without falsification. He also said that all officials involved in the withdrawal could be traced through internal paperwork that bears signatures from various officers.
The witness acknowledged that he was initially unaware that the transaction was fraudulent and that he only realised the irregularity later when shown what he believed to be forged documents. In testimony reported separately, he said that he had been “inadvertently involved,” emphasising that he had acted on the understanding that the process was genuine because CBN’s payment systems are generally rigorous. He also stated that he never met Emefiele in connection with the transaction and that all instructions he received came from Eric Ocheme, whom he said was not available at the time of his testimony.
Maishanu further explained that the internal disciplinary framework at the CBN ranges from warnings to dismissal depending on the severity of an infraction, conducted by a disciplinary committee. However, he added that he had not been subjected to disciplinary action by the bank’s board in connection with this withdrawal.
The witness’s account places the withdrawal squarely within the scope of the EFCC’s case against Emefiele, which alleges that the former central bank governor facilitated or was connected to the misuse of CBN funds. Justice Muazu adjourned the matter to continue on 30 January 2026 as the trial progresses.
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