News
EFCC to arraign Emefiele for printing naira notes without strict approval
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a fresh four-count charge against Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The anti-graft agency is accusing Emefiele of “illegal” printing of naira notes in its fresh charge.
Emefiele is expected to be arraigned before Maryann Anenih, a judge at the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, on Wednesday.
In the charge sheet seen by TheCable, EFCC alleges that Emefiele “disobeyed the direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public” by approving the printing of naira notes without “strict approval” from former President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN board.
The anti-graft agency also accused Emefiele of approving the withdrawal of N124.8 billion from the consolidated revenue fund “in a manner not prescribed by the national assembly”.
“That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of N375,520,000.00 pieces of colour swapped N1, 000, at the total cost of N11,052, 068,062 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence,” the charge sheet reads.
“That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, between the 19th of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (Five Hundred Naira) Notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.
“That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 137,070,000 pieces of colour swapped N200 (Two Hundred Naira) Note, at the total cost of N3, 441, 005, 280 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.
“That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, on or about the 7th day of October 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 80 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), by approving the withdrawal of the total sum of N124, 860, 227, 865.16 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation in a manner not prescribed by the National Assembly, which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”
NAIRA REDESIGN CONTROVERSY
On October 26, 2022, Emefiele announced the plan to redesign the highest denominations of the country’s currency to control money supply and aid security agencies in tackling illicit financial flows.
Emefiele had said the new notes (N200, N500, and N1000) would be effective from mid-December 2022, advising customers to deposit their old notes before January 31, 2023, when they would cease to be legal tender.
The scarcity of old naira notes sparked violent protests in many parts of the country as banks and automated teller machines (ATMs) were torched.
Many analysts had argued that the naira redesign policy was politically motivated.
On numerous occasions, Buhari expressed approval for the naira redesign policy.
In November 2023, Buhari explained why he approved the naira redesign policy.
MULTIPLE TRIALS
Emefiele is currently facing multiple trials over his management of public funds and decisions taken while he was governor of the apex bank.
In November 2023, Emefiele was arraigned before Hamza Muazu, a judge at the FCT high court, on a six-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The charge which was formerly six counts, had been increased to 20 counts.
The former CBN governor pleaded not guilty.
Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, has declared Friday as a public holiday ahead of the local government election in the state.
The election is slated for Saturday, October 5, across the 23 LGAs of the state.
In a statement, Tersoo Kula, the governor’s chief press secretary, said the holiday will allow the electorate make trips to their respective LGAs to exercise their franchise.
The governor encouraged all eligible voters in Benue to participate in the election.
He also urged all public and private sector organisations to support the initiative by allowing employees to partake in the vote.
Alia asked citizens to prioritise peace and collaboration during the elections, reinforcing the need for unity and cooperation among all political parties involved.
State governments have been conducting LG elections following a supreme court judgment on financial autonomy for local councils.
Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, also declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays for the LG polls in his state.
Fubara said there will be strict restrictions on vehicular movement from midnight of Friday to 5pm on election day.
A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama has granted a N150 million bail to Darius Ishaku, former governor of Taraba state.
Ishaku was arraigned on Monday alongside Bello Yero, former permanent secretary, bureau for local government and chieftaincy affairs.
Both men are being prosecuted on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds.
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” when all the charges were read to them.
At the court session on Thursday, the defendants’ respective counsels moved their bail applications.
Rotimi Jacobs, prosecution counsel, said he would not object since the defendants have been granted administrative bail.
Sylvanus Oriji, presiding judge, granted the bail application.
He held that the defendants must produce two sureties each in like sum. The two sureties must be responsible citizens of Nigeria and must be residents within the FCT, with verifiable office and residential addresses.
One of the sureties produced by each defendant must be a director in the civil service.
The defendants must not travel outside the country without the court’s permission and must deposit their travel documents to the court.
Ishaku, 70, was governor of Taraba from 2015 to 2023.
A video of a crossdresser being harassed and stripped in Abuja has surfaced on social media.
The footage, which has since gone viral, shows a group of people confronting the crossdresser in a public space at night over his choice of outfit.
In the video, the crossdresser attempts to walk away as the crowd follows him, hurling derogatory comments and making aggressive gestures.
The middle-aged man was stripped off in public before he was allowed to go with a warning not to wear such an outfit again.
Abuja crossdresser attacked and str!pped in public after being confronted by a group of people💔 pic.twitter.com/vWyvayyFjc
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) October 2, 2024
The incident comes in light of the recent death of another Abuja crossdresser, known as Area Mama.
The crossdresser was found dead along the Katampe-Mabushi expressway in August.
Area Mama’s body was discovered in a pool of blood, with visible scratches and bruises, and his belongings scattered nearby.
Another video captured Area Mama shortly before his tragic demise, also clad in a similar outfit.
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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.
She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others
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