Emefiele awarded contracts to wife and in-law’s company – Witness tells Court

Oluwasegun SanusiMarch 12, 20241 Mins read832

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Agboro Omowera, testified on Monday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, revealing details implicating ten officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including the former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in a corruption scandal.

Omowera’s testimony shed light on the alleged involvement of Emefiele in awarding multi-million contracts to companies associated with his wife and brother-in-law.

The EFCC has accused Emefiele of leveraging his influential position to confer corrupt advantages on his relatives, facilitating the approval of a staggering sum of N97.9 million to Architekon Nigeria Ltd, where both his wife, Margaret, and brother-in-law are directors.

The contracts in question pertained to the supply of office furniture to the CBN.

The investigator, Omowera, stressed that while ten individuals were involved in the documentation for the contract awards, Emefiele, as the head of the CBN, ultimately bore the responsibility.

He emphasized, “He is the head of the CBN and the buck stops at his table.”

However, when pressed by the defendant’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), Omowera clarified that their investigation was focused on Emefiele’s relatives and associates rather than directly implicating Emefiele himself.

Earlier in the proceedings, Omowera, led by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), pointed out that Emefiele’s actions conferred a corrupt and unfair advantage on Architekon Nigeria Limited and April 1616.

Notably, Emefiele’s wife, Margaret Omoyile, was identified as a director of Archtekon Nigeria Limited, having registered the company under her maiden name.

Furthermore, the investigative team discovered that Sa`adatu Yaro, a CBN staff, was listed as a director of April 1616 Investment Ltd.

This company, according to Omowera, secured numerous contracts for the supply of Toyota Hilux vehicles, totalling significant sums of money. Yaro’s husband owned other companies, but only the one in which his wife was a director received patronage from the CBN.

Omowera revealed, “We tried to confirm whether this company was accredited by Toyota and to our surprise, it was not among the accredited bidders.”

The trial, presided over by Judge Hamza Muazu, was adjourned until April 25 for further proceedings.

It’s worth noting that the EFCC had previously declared Emefiele’s wife and three others wanted for their alleged involvement in embezzlement.

Read: Nigeria: Consumer Rights and Protection Under FCCPC