Finance Ministry Unaware of N124.86bn CBN withdrawal, witness tells court in Emefiele trial

Crime Diary

ABUJA, Nigeria (Agency Report) —  The Federal Ministry of Finance was not aware of the withdrawal of N124.86 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), a director in the ministry told the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja.

Ali Mohammed, who testified as the prosecution’s 10th witness, PW10, made the disclosure on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, during the ongoing trial of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Abbas Mohammed, the witness said the Ministry of Finance received a letter from an investigation team concerning N154 billion reportedly withdrawn by the CBN.

Advertisement

Mohammed, who oversees the Department of Home Finance, said the department comprises three divisions — State and Public Finance, Trade and Banking, and Other Financial Institutions.

He told the court that after receiving the investigator’s letter, he contacted the three divisions under his supervision to determine whether any of them was aware of the transaction.

According to Mohammed, none of the divisions had knowledge of the transaction.

He said the State and Public Finance Investment Division was particularly relevant because it oversees the CBN.

Accountant-General Also Unaware

Mohammed told the court that he subsequently wrote through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to determine whether the office was aware of the transaction.

He explained that the OAGF was the appropriate office to approach because it serves as the custodian of payments for the Federal Government.

According to the witness, the OAGF responded in writing that it was not aware of the transaction and indicated that the money represented a direct credit from the CBN.

Mohammed said he relied on the response from the Accountant-General before preparing a response to the Special Investigator.

“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,” he told the court.

The documents sent to the Special Investigator included a letter bearing the logo of the Federal Ministry of Finance and signed by Mohammed, alongside a letter signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Court Admits Documents as Exhibits

Mohammed identified the documents when they were shown to him in court, after which the prosecution sought to tender them as evidence.

The witness said the original documents had already been forwarded to the Special Investigator and therefore sought to tender certified true copies.

Defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, did not object to their admission.

Justice Maryanne Anineh subsequently admitted the documents and marked them as Exhibits AJ, AK and AL.

While examining the exhibits, the prosecution asked Mohammed to explain the purpose of Exhibit AJ.

The witness said the document established that the Federal Ministry of Finance was not aware of the N124.86 billion withdrawal.

He said his conclusion was based on the letter forwarded to the ministry by the Accountant-General of the Federation.

On Exhibit AL, Mohammed told the court that the document confirmed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation was also not aware of the transaction involving the N124.86 billion.

-NAN