Emefiele Trial: Witness Tells Court $6.23m Withdrawn From CBN With Forged Documents

 An Assistant Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bashirudden Muhammed Maishanu, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, that a sum of $6.23 million was withdrawn from the Garki Branch of the apex bank using forged documents in February 2023.

Maishanu, who testified as the 11th prosecution

 witness (PW11) in the ongoing trial of former

 CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, made the

 disclosure on Thursday, January 29, 2026, before

 Justice Hamza Muazu.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel and

 Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo,

 SAN, the witness said the cash withdrawal was

 allegedly made for election observers and

 logistics, following what he later discovered to be

 fraudulent approvals.

According to the witness, the transaction began in

 early January 2023 when he was approached by

 an individual identified as Alhaji Ahmed, who

 claimed to be working with a special committee

 under the Office of the Secretary to the

 Government of the Federation (SGF). He said

 Ahmed told him the payment was based on

 presidential approval and would require the

 approval of the then CBN Governor.

Maishanu told the court that on February 8, 2023,

 a friend of his, accompanied by a driver,

 withdrew the cash at the Garki Branch of the

 CBN. He added that $2.5 million was later left

 behind by Ahmed for him and two others, a

 development he said raised suspicion.

He stated that he later became convinced the

 transaction was fraudulent due to the volume of

 cash involved and the CBN’s stringent payment

 procedures, noting that such a large cash

 withdrawal could not ordinarily pass through the

 system without manipulation.

The witness further explained that disciplinary

 actions within the CBN depend on the gravity of

 offences and are handled through established

 internal processes. He added that he had not

 faced any disciplinary action in connection with

 the matter.

During cross-examination, Maishanu maintained

 that although he did not witness the signing of

 the approval, all individuals involved in the

 withdrawal could be traced through internal

 documentation. He also told the court that the

 funds were meant for election-related expenses,

 specifically for “election overseers.”

Justice Muazu adjourned the case until Friday,

 January 30, 2026, for continuation of trial.

 Source: Economic and Financial Crimes

 Commission (EFCC)