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Court: Emefiele Violated CBN Act in Naira Redesign Exercise-Witness

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Court: Emefiele Violated CBN Act in Naira Redesign Exercise-Witness

Naira redesign. The Seventh Prosecution Witness, PW7, Chinedu Eneanya, in the trial of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, told Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, that Emefiele violated the provisions of the CBN Act in the 2022 naira redesign exercise.

Emefiele is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a four-count charge, bordering on the alleged unlawful printing of new naira notes.

Testifying under cross-examination by defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, at Wednesday’s proceedings, the witness disclosed that “the investigation conducted by the team showed that the defendant disobeyed the provisions of the CBN Act, 2007. The Central Bank must have board recommendations before the currency is redesigned.”

Further in his testimony, the witness disclosed that Emefiele presented three sample designs of the proposed naira notes in the denominations of N1000, N500 and N200, which were approved by the President.

“The president approved on the 11th page and directed that the design be done locally. However, investigation showed that what was eventually produced was not what was presented to the president,” he said.

The witness also disclosed that the original design of the old naira notes was handled by De La Rue, a UK-based company.

On whether the EFCC invited members of the CBN Board of Directors or its Committee of Governors during the investigation, Eneanya stated that the Commission obtained the statement of the official in charge of the Apex Bank’s Corporate Secretariat.

Earlier in the cross-examination, the witness identified Exhibit N1 to be the statement made by Ahmed Aliyu, Managing Director of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Limited, NSPMC

When asked if his investigation uncovered any contradiction in the content of Page six of Exhibit N1, the witness stated that the printing of the naira notes had been carried out locally before the investigation commenced. He also confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria paid NSPMC for the production of the currency.

Forfeited 753 Abuja Duplexes

Emefiele

Under re-examination, prosecution counsel, Abbas Mohammed, sought clarification on whether the President’s directive related to the design or production of the currency to which the witness stated that the redesign of the naira notes was carried out and given to President Buhari to approve.

“Investigation shows that the design of the currency was already shown to the president and it was approved,” the witness explained.

Justice Anineh thereafter adjourned the matter till May 11, 2026 for continuation of trial.

Crime

EFCC Grills Raheem Abiodun Wasiu for Alleged $12,000 Fraud in Enugu

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EFCC Arraigns Gidado Ibrahim

EFCC Grills Raheem Abiodun Wasiu for Alleged $12,000 Fraud in Enugu

Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC have commenced investigations into the activities of one Raheem Abiodun Wasiu, an alleged serial fraudster, for an alleged case of fraud to the tune of $12,000 (Twelve Thousand United States Dollars).
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Wasiu, 38, was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, following a complaint by one Ezekulie Stanley Chukwuamuanya, a Bureau De Change operator who claimed that he was defrauded the sum of $5000 (Five Thousand United States Dollars) by the suspect.

In the course of investigation by operatives of the EFCC, it was discovered that the suspect rents different Toyota Hilux trucks, disguises as a wealthy contractor, moves with escorts and meets BDC operators in the south-east and allegedly tricks them into parting with their had earned money, by presenting fake alerts in Naira to them, after collecting their money.

According to Chukwumuanya, “I gave him the dollar and he counted it by himself. After confirmation, he then asked for my bank details. After giving him my account number, he mentioned my name that popped up on his bank application, I confirmed it. The next thing he told me was that it had gone through, which I waited for the alert to come, to no avail. Because of time, he asked me to go and that I will get it, that it could be network issues and I left because of his personality”. He alleged that soon after that, the suspect became incommunicado.

Another petitioner, based in Owerri, Imo State, one Chief Nwaoha Ubaferem equally alleged that Wasiu defrauded him of the sum of $7,000. He said, “the dollar on me was $2,600, then I called my office to bring additional $4,400 to me to complete it as he requested for $7,000. As we were waiting, he complained that he was running late and we decided to move to Royce Road from Port Harcourt Road where he finally collected the money from me, resumed transfer, called my name and informed me that the transfer had gone which I believed but continued to expect alert from him”.

EFCC Arraigns Gidado Ibrahim

EFCC

Further investigations revealed that the suspect has toured the South-east, and Akwa Ibom State, using the same pattern to allegedly defraud BDC operators.

Items recovered from the suspect include: A Hilux truck (Akwa Ibom KTR 379 AA), various bank ATM cards, different bank transfer tokens, digital National Identification Number slip with the name Sunday Abiodun, two complimentary cards with the name Engineer Abiodun, a designer bag (Emporio Amani), One iPhone 17 Promax, One Samsung phone, 4G internet pocket WIFI, One Patek Philip wrist watch, vehicle particulars, One gold bangle and a pair of shoes (Alexandra MC Queen).

The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
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EFCC Boss Orders Withdrawal of Charges Against Maryam Shehu, Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad

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Ola Olukoyede

EFCC Boss Orders Withdrawal of Charges Against Maryam Shehu, Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has compassionately ordered the withdrawal of charges preferred against Maryam Isah Shehu and Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad, who were, on Thursday August 20, 2026 arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged cybercrime and peddling malicious information against the Commission.
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While the Commission considered the arraignment of the two defendants for cyber stalking to be contrary to Section 24(2) (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended) 2024 and punishable under Section 24 (2) (c) (ii) of the same Act, the Executive Chairman, nonetheless, considered the passionate pleas and apologies of Shehu’s father and appeals of well-meaning Nigerians for leniency.

To this end, he has directed that charges filed against the two young Nigerians be dropped and warned that the EFCC would no longer tolerate any wilful attack on its image in any form, medium or platform.

Ola Olukoyede

Ola Olukoyede

The EFCC’s boss assured Nigerians that the Commission would continue to function in line with its assigned mandate and in the best interests of the nation.
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President Tinubu Orders Immediate Arrest, Sacks Three Perm Secs as ICPC Uncovers New Fake Agency

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Tinubu

President Tinubu Orders Immediate Arrest, Sacks Three Perm Secs as ICPC Uncovers New Fake Agency

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of one George Buchi Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries over the discovery of another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
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They include M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah.

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN disclosed this to State House correspondents on Friday after briefing the President for the second time in two days, following an earlier meeting on Thursday.

Aliyu said the newly uncovered fake office, operating under the name “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office,” had been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the OSGF, contrary to extant laws and without presidential authorisation.

He said, “Upon further briefing by ICPC to Mr President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered another fake agency and office operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which has been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Aliyu said.

He said the discovery emerged in the course of the commission’s broader investigation, as earlier directed by President Tinubu, and identified the promoter of the fake office as one Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, who was found to be operating under multiple aliases.

“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He revealed that the ICPC had engaged the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to ascertain vital information relating to the fake office under investigation, and had comprehensively briefed the President on the new developments.

“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.

Aliyu said following the discovery, “Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries; M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” he said.

Friday’s development is the latest in a scandal that began with the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution on charges of forgery and impersonation.

Tinubu

Tinubu

The ICPC’s interim report, submitted to the President on August 6 after a 30-day investigation, had earlier disclosed the existence of two other fictitious bodies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.

The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is the fourth fake agency uncovered after the PFIFC scandal since early April.
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