A witness from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Agboro Omowera, testified in a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, revealing that 10 Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials, including former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, were involved in awarding multi-million contracts to April 1616 and Architekon Nigeria Limited. The EFCC accuses Emefiele of using his position to benefit his wife and brother-in-law by approving a payment of N97.9 million to Architekon Nigeria Ltd for office furniture supply to the CBN.
Omowera stated that Emefiele, as the head of the CBN, bore the ultimate responsibility for approving these contracts, despite 10 people being involved in the process. However, he clarified that their investigation focused on Emefiele's relatives and associates, not on the former governor himself. The witness also mentioned that Emefiele's wife used her maiden name to register Architekon Nigeria Limited, and another CBN staff, Sa`adatu Yaro, was listed as a director of April 1616 Investment Ltd, which received contracts for supplying Toyota Hilux vehicles.
The witness further explained that April 1616 Investment Limited, where Yaro was a director, started receiving CBN contracts for vehicles shortly after her employment with the CBN. Despite lacking a track record, the company won 45 different contracts for Toyota vehicles, raising suspicions about the bidding process. The trial judge adjourned the case till April 25, with the EFCC previously declaring Emefiele's wife and three others wanted for alleged conspiracy to steal from the Nigerian government.
