Emefiele awarded contracts to wife, brother-in-law — Court Witness tell court
By Adeyanju Esther
The seventh prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Agboro alleged that the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, awarded contracts to companies owned by his wife and brother-in-law.
Emefiele is on trial for a 20-count amended charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before an FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
The charges include criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence during his tenure as the CBN governor.
The EFCC alleged 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 falsely represented it as originating from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (AGF).
Furthermore, Emefiele is accused of using his position to confer unfair and corrupt advantages on two companies: April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
Agboro, an investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), who previously testified, was further cross-examined by Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa, SAN. When asked if Emefiele conferred an unfair advantage on himself, Agboro responded that he conferred it on Saadatu Yaro, a public officer under his authority, as well as on his wife and brother-in-law.
Agboro confirmed that the contracts were approved by Emefiele, but admitted that Emefiele was merely an employee of the CBN and was not aware if Emefiele was part of the tender board or procurement department. The investigation focused on Emefiele, his wife, relatives, and associates, and revealed that Emefiele was not a director, shareholder, or account signatory in either April 1616 Nigeria Ltd or Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
Agboro also admitted there was no evidence of payments made to Emefiele by these companies while he performed his duties at the CBN. When asked if they interviewed CBN personnel to verify if the two firms completed their contracted jobs, Agboro confirmed they did, but could not recall if this fact was included in their final report.
During the hearing, several documents were tendered by EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, including company registration documents and contracts related to the two firms. The documents showed that while a director of April 1616, Yaro, was a CBN public officer, Emefiele’s wife, Margaret Omoyile, and his brother-in-law, Mac Congo, were directors in Architekon.
Justice Hamza Muazu adjourned the matter until Tuesday for the re-examination of the witness.
