The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted reports suggesting that the 10th prosecution witness, Salawu Gana, justified the procurement contracts awarded under the tenure of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the EFCC clarified that Gana’s testimony before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on February 3, 2025, did not validate the procurement process but instead revealed irregularities in the contract award for the purchase of vehicles.
Gana, a former head of procurement at the CBN, testified that one of the companies, April 1616, was given insider information about competing bids from RT Briscoe and Globe Motors, which allowed it to adjust its bid to secure the contract.
“We initiated the procurement process and requested quotations from Globe Motors, RT Briscoe, and April 1616. April 1616 was provided a guide to the in-house estimate and submitted the lowest bid of N69 million, compared to RT Briscoe’s N77,050,000 and Globe Motors’ N77,179,999,” the EFCC said Gana stated in his testimony before the court.
According to Gana, the privileged information was not shared with the other bidders, yet the contract was approved under Emefiele’s leadership.
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Meanwhile, Emefiele’s defense counsel, Matthew Burkaa, has filed an application, urging the court to prevent the EFCC from calling additional witnesses, as all necessary evidence had been presented.
However, EFCC’s lead prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed the motion, stating that denying the agency the opportunity to call further witnesses would infringe on its right to a fair hearing.
Justice Muazu adjourned the case to March 20, 2025, for a ruling on the application.
Emefiele faces a 20-count amended charge, including allegations of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery, and obtaining $6.23 million under false pretenses.
