The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, urged Justice Hamza Mu’azu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, to dismiss the no-case submission filed by former CBN, Governor, Godwin Emefiele, insisting that the evidence presented by the prosecution established a prima facie case requiring him to enter his defence.
Emefiele is facing an amended 20-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence, including allegations relating to the withdrawal of $6.23 million and the conferment of corrupt advantage in the award of CBN contracts.
Prosecution counsel, Director, Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, argued that the purpose of a no-case submission was to determine whether the prosecution had established a prima facie case, not to determine the defendant’s guilt or evaluate the credibility of witnesses at that stage.
He maintained that calling on Emefiele to enter his defence would not amount to asking him to prove his innocence but would give him the opportunity to answer the issues raised by the prosecution’s evidence.
Emefiele’s Alleged Offences
On the contract-related counts, Oyedepo identified the ingredients of the alleged offences as the defendant’s status as a public officer, his use of that position and the conferment of corrupt advantage on his relations or associates.
He told the court that exhibits bearing Emefiele’s approval signatures, alongside corporate records, linked the defendant to companies associated with his wife and brother-in-law, including Architekon Nigeria Limited.
Oyedepo argued that it would be untenable for the defence to contend that the prosecution had not established evidence of undue advantage in relation to the company allegedly associated with Sa’adatu Ramalan Yaro, an associate of the defendant arguing that the contracts, valued at between $6 million and $10 million, did not pass through the Major Contracts Tender Board, which Oyedepo said was established under the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and chaired by a Deputy Governor of the CBN.
According to him, contracts exceeding $1 million were required to be reviewed by the Board before recommendations were forwarded to the Governor for approval.
However, the company was informed of the CBN’s in-house prices and subsequently quoted the exact prices, thereby depriving other prospective bidders of a fair opportunity
The prosecution also submitted that the company had existed for years without winning contracts of the kind in question until Emefiele became CBN Governor, after which it allegedly received all 45 contracts under consideration.
