Court Reserves Ruling on Emefiele’s No-Case Submission in $6.2m Fraud Trial

An Abuja High Court has reserved its ruling on a no-case submission filed by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, who is facing trial over an alleged $6.23 million fraud and procurement-related offences.

The court proceedings took place on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, before Justice Hamza Mu’azu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja. The judge reserved the ruling after lawyers representing Emefiele and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented their arguments on whether the former CBN governor should be required to enter his defence.

Emefiele’s lawyer, Matthew Burkaa, urged the court to discharge his client, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish the essential elements of the offences contained in the charges.

The defence maintained that the EFCC had not demonstrated that Emefiele personally benefited from the contracts under investigation or manipulated the CBN’s tender board to favour companies allegedly linked to his associates.

Burkaa also argued that the companies involved had executed the contracts awarded to them. He further referred to testimony concerning allegedly forged signatures on documents connected to the disputed withdrawal of funds.

However, the EFCC opposed the application, insisting that the evidence presented during the trial established a prima facie case requiring Emefiele to answer the allegations.

Prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo argued that several contracts allegedly bypassed the required review procedures of the CBN’s Major Contracts Tender Board.

According to the prosecution, companies linked to Emefiele’s associates allegedly received preferential treatment during the procurement process. The EFCC also alleged that one company obtained access to the bank’s internal pricing information, giving it an unfair advantage over competing contractors.

The prosecution further relied on evidence concerning the withdrawal of $6.23 million from the CBN during Emefiele’s tenure. It alleged that documents attributed to former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha were forged to facilitate the transaction.

The EFCC also cited testimony suggesting that an internal banking alert was triggered by the transaction and argued that Emefiele failed to take appropriate action.

Emefiele is facing an amended 20-count charge involving alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and the alleged conferment of corrupt advantages. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A no-case submission is a legal application asking a court to discharge a defendant on the grounds that the prosecution has not presented sufficient evidence to require a defence.

The court is expected to communicate the date for its ruling to the parties. The decision will determine whether Emefiele must enter his defence or whether he will be discharged on the basis of the application.

The allegations remain before the court, and no determination of guilt has been made in the case.