A Director in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ali Mohammed, on Tuesday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that neither his ministry nor the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation was aware of the withdrawal of N124.86 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Mohammed, who appeared as the 10th prosecution witness, PW10, in the ongoing trial of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed this while testifying before Justice Maryanne Anineh.
Led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Abbas Mohammed, the witness said his ministry became aware of the transaction after receiving a letter from an investigation team concerning N154 billion reportedly withdrawn by the apex bank.
Mohammed, who oversees the Department of Home Finance, explained that the department comprises three divisions: State and Public Finance, Trade, and Banking and Other Financial Institutions.
He told the court that after receiving the investigator’s letter, he contacted the three divisions under his supervision to determine whether any of them had prior knowledge of the transaction.
According to him, none of the divisions was aware of the transaction.
He identified the State and Public Finance Investment Division as the relevant division because of its responsibility for matters concerning the CBN.
Mohammed said he subsequently wrote through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to establish whether the office was aware of the withdrawal.
He explained that the step became necessary because the OAGF is responsible for payments on behalf of the Federal Government.
The witness said the Accountant-General’s Office responded in writing that it had no knowledge of the transaction, indicating that the funds represented a direct credit from the CBN.
He told the court that he relied on the response from the Accountant-General before communicating the findings to the Special Investigator.
“I responded via a memo of what has transpired between my office and that of the AGF and sought for clearance for such document to be forwarded to the Special Investigator. Subsequently, the letter was forwarded,” Mohammed said.
He said the documents sent to the investigator included a letter bearing the Federal Ministry of Finance’s logo and signed by him, alongside a letter signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The prosecution tendered certified true copies of the documents after Mohammed identified them in court.
Defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), said he had no objection to their admission.
Justice Anineh subsequently admitted the documents and marked them as Exhibits AJ, AK and AL.
Explaining the significance of Exhibit AJ, Mohammed said the document established that the Federal Ministry of Finance was not aware of the N124.86 billion withdrawal.
He said he signed the document based on the information contained in the letter received from the Accountant-General’s Office.
On Exhibit AL, the witness said it was the confirmation from the OAGF that the office had no knowledge of the transaction involving the N124.86 billion.
The prosecution drew the witness’s attention to the third line of Exhibit AJ, which stated that the amount under consideration was classified in the ministry’s records as a direct debit letter by the CBN.
Explaining the phrase, Mohammed said it meant the money had been withdrawn from the CBN without recourse to any other government office.
“Direct debit means it was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria without recourse of any office in Nigeria. That is what it means,” he told the court.
The witness further stated that, under normal circumstances, the Office of the Accountant-General would have to receive a directive before any such withdrawal could be effected.
He added that the document did not show that the Federal Ministry of Finance had instructed the OAGF to make the withdrawal, particularly from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Earlier, another prosecution witness, Hamisu Abdullahi, Director of Banking Services at the CBN, continued his testimony before the court.
During the proceedings, the prosecution referred Abdullahi to an email he had mentioned during his cross-examination on May 4, 2026, and asked whether he could still recall it.
The witness answered in the affirmative and explained that the email was generated from the CBN’s computer system, certified as a true copy and accompanied by a certificate of compliance.
According to Abdullahi, the email conveyed a directive from the then CBN governor concerning the recovery of N1.4 billion debit in the receivables account from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
When shown the document, the witness identified it.
The prosecution subsequently tendered the email and accompanying certificate in evidence.
Ojo, who represented the defence, did not object to their admission.
Justice Anineh consequently admitted the documents and marked them Exhibits AH1 and AH2.
With no further questions for Abdullahi, the court discharged him from the witness box.
Justice Anineh adjourned the case until Wednesday, October 7, 2026, for the cross-examination of PW10 and continuation of the trial.
Emefiele is being prosecuted by the EFCC on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disobedience to lawful directives and unlawful acts allegedly resulting in harm to members of the public in connection with the controversial naira redesign policy.
