Alleged $6. 23m loot: Jim Obazee seeks Buhari, Boss Mustapha’s trial

 Mr Jim Obazee, a Special Investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu has asked for the posthumous prosecution of late President Muhammadu Buhari and the trial of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha.
Obazee, who is the 15th Prosecution Witness in the trial of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, told an Abuja High Court that Mustapha must be in court to answer for the alleged 6.23 million dollars CBN Loot.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Emefiele with criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence while serving as CBN governor.
Emefiele is alleged to have knowingly obtained, by false pretences, the sum of 6,2 million dollars meant for international election observers for the 2023 general election.
The EFCC accused Emefiele of conferring corrupt advantages on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Obazee was led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
“The situation in Nigeria is a very unfortunate one, especially for the federal government to have put only Emefiele on trial in an alleged fraud that involved more than 10 people,” he alleged.
He dismissed the denials of involvement in the fraud by the Presidency and the former SGF, and demanded in open court that Mustapha be brought into the dock alongside Emefiele.
He also demanded the prosecution of the Manager of the CBN’s Abuja branch, because the looted funds were released to suspected criminals without due diligence.
He explained that by the CBN Act, the N2.8 billion naira equivalent of 6.2 million dollars ought to have been deposited before it was officially released.
Besides Buhari, Mustapha and Emefiele, the witness also demanded that the court order the arrest and prosecution of Jibril Abubakar, who was alleged to have collected the funds purportedly on the authority of the SGF’s office.
He added that Bashirudeen Maishanu, a current staff of the CBN, who claimed to be one of those who stole the money and refunded 856,500 dollars to the special investigation panel, should be charged.
“For actions and inactions, Buhari ought to be charged and must be charged along with Emefiele in this fraud, even if posthumously, since national honours are given posthumously.
“As for  Mustapha, as far as I am concerned, he did deny to me that he did not sign the documents from his office which initiated the request for the $6. 2m and led to the release of the amount to a person who claimed to be a staff of his office.
“Whatever you are doing to Emefiele by way of prosecution ought to have been done to Buhari, Mustapha, Maishanu and former board members of the CBN under Emefiele
” If all of them are prosecuted, it will serve as a deterrent, and problems of Nigeria will be reduced and eliminated by 50 per cent”, he said.
Obazee said he hopes that all of them would be lined up in this dock with Emefiele, and that this must include Maishanu, ‘who returned to me $856,500.’
Under cross-examination by Mathew Burka, SAN,  counsel for Emefiele, the witness told the court that he did not recover any money from Emefiele.
He, however, said that, by presumption, Emefiele is supposed to know about the alleged fraud if the CCTV and BVN portal at the apex bank’s Abuja branch office had been used before the money was released to the looters.
The witness further stated that the disappearance of the money should have been detected in the CBN’s annual financial statement if all those in charge had been diligent.
The witness stated that President Tinubu invited him on December 19, 2023, to prepare charges against the defendant in the $6. 2million loot.
The prosecution counsel, Oyedepo, informed the court that the prosecution was closing its case with the PW 15th.
Burkaa also informed the court that he was going to file a no-case submission
Justice Hamza Muazu then adjourned until October 20 for adoption of addresses.