A Finance Ministry director tells an Abuja court the ministry was unaware of the N124.86bn CBN withdrawal as evidence continues in Godwin Emefiele’s trial
Emefiele Trial: Finance Ministry Denies Knowledge of N124.86bn CBN Withdrawal
A Director in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ali Mohammed, has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that the ministry was unaware of the withdrawal of N124.86 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Mohammed made the disclosure on Tuesday while testifying as the 10th prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, before Justice Maryanne Anineh at the FCT High Court, Maitama.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Abbas Mohammed, the witness said his ministry began investigating the transaction after receiving a letter from an investigative team concerning an alleged N154 billion withdrawal by the CBN.
Explaining his responsibilities, Mohammed said he supervised three divisions under the Department of Home Finance: State and Public Finance, Trade, and Banking and Other Financial Institutions.
He told the court that he contacted the three divisions after receiving the investigator’s letter to establish whether they knew about the transaction, but none had prior knowledge of it.
According to him, the State and Public Finance Division was particularly relevant because it oversees the CBN.
Mohammed said he subsequently wrote to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance to determine whether the office knew about the transaction.
He explained that the ministry did not directly disburse government funds to individuals or organisations, making the Accountant-General’s office the appropriate authority to approach because it handles payments for the Federal Government.
The witness said the OAGF replied in writing that it was unaware of the transaction, prompting him to conclude that the money had been withdrawn directly from the CBN without the knowledge of the relevant government offices.
“I responded via a memo of what has transpired between my office and that of the AGF and sought for clearance for such document to be forwarded to the Special Investigator. Subsequently, the letter was forwarded,” Mohammed told the court.
He said the documents sent to the Special Investigator included a letter bearing the Federal Ministry of Finance’s logo, which he signed, alongside a letter signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation.
When the prosecution presented the documents in court, Mohammed identified them and explained that the originals had already been forwarded to the Special Investigator. He therefore sought to tender certified true copies.
Defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, did not object to their admission. Justice Anineh subsequently admitted the documents and marked them as Exhibits AJ, AK and AL.
Explaining the significance of Exhibit AJ, Mohammed said the document established that the Federal Ministry of Finance had no knowledge of the N124.86 billion withdrawal. He added that he relied on the Accountant-General’s letter before signing the document.
He also identified Exhibit AL as confirmation from the OAGF that it was unaware of the transaction.
Reading from the third line of Exhibit AJ, the witness said: “Accordingly, the figure under consideration was classified in the Ministry’s record as a direct debit letter by the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
Asked to explain the phrase, Mohammed said, “Direct debit means it was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria without recourse of any office in Nigeria. That is what it means.”
He further told the court that, under normal circumstances, the Office of the Accountant-General would be involved before such a withdrawal was made, noting that the office operates under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Mohammed added that the documents did not indicate that the ministry had directed the Accountant-General to authorise the withdrawal, particularly from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court heard further testimony from the ninth prosecution witness, Hamisu Abdullahi, a Director of Banking Services at the CBN.
The prosecution reminded Abdullahi of an email he had mentioned during cross-examination on May 4, 2026, asking whether he could still identify the document. He answered in the affirmative.
Abdullahi explained that the email had been generated from the CBN’s computer system, certified as a true copy, signed and accompanied by a certificate of compliance.
According to him, the email conveyed a directive from the then CBN governor to recover N1.4 billion debited to a receivables account from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
After identifying the document, the witness saw the prosecution seek to tender the email and its accompanying certificate in evidence. Ojo, who represented the defence, raised no objection.
Justice Anineh admitted the documents and marked them as Exhibits AH1 and AH2, respectively. Abdullahi was subsequently discharged after the prosecution indicated that it had no further questions for him.
The judge adjourned the case until Wednesday, October 7, 2026, for cross-examination and continuation of the trial.
Emefiele is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disobedience to lawful directives and unlawful acts said to have caused harm to members of the public in connection with the controversial naira redesign policy. The allegations remain subject to determination by the court.
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