A Director in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ali Mohammed, has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that the ministry was unaware of the withdrawal of N124.86 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Mohammed, who testified as the 10th prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, made the disclosure on Tuesday while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Abbas Mohammed.
The witness said the ministry became aware of the transaction after receiving a letter from an investigative team concerning N154 billion reportedly withdrawn by the CBN.
Mohammed said he contacted the three divisions under his supervision at the Ministry’s Department of Home Finance to establish whether they were aware of the transaction.
He told the court that none of the divisions had knowledge of the transaction, adding that the State and Public Finance Investment Division was the relevant unit because it oversees the CBN.
The witness said he subsequently wrote to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), through the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, to determine whether the office was aware of the transaction.
According to him, the OAGF responded that it was not aware of the transaction and concluded that the money represented a direct credit from the CBN.
Mohammed said the response formed the basis of a memo he prepared for the Special Investigator who was examining the transaction.
He explained that the documents forwarded to the investigator included a letter bearing the Ministry of Finance’s logo and signed by him, as well as a letter signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The prosecution tendered certified true copies of the documents after the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, raised no objection. Justice Maryanne Anineh admitted them in evidence and marked them Exhibits AJ, AK and AL.
Explaining Exhibit AJ, Mohammed said the document established that the Ministry of Finance was unaware of the N124.86 billion withdrawal.
He also explained a section of the document which stated that the amount was classified in the ministry’s records as a “direct debit letter by the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
“Direct debit means it was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria without recourse of any office in Nigeria. That is what it means,” the witness told the court.
Mohammed further said the OAGF would ordinarily be directed before any withdrawal was made from government funds, adding that the documents before him did not show that the Ministry of Finance directed the Accountant-General’s office to make the withdrawal, particularly from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Earlier, another prosecution witness, Hamisu Abdullahi, a Director of Banking Services at the CBN, continued his testimony.
Abdullahi identified an email generated from the CBN’s computer system directing the recovery of N1.4 billion debit in the receivables account from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The prosecution tendered the email and accompanying certificate of compliance after the defence raised no objection. Justice Anineh admitted the documents as Exhibits AH1 and AH2.
Following the completion of Abdullahi’s testimony, the court discharged him from the witness box.
Justice Anineh adjourned the case until October 7 for cross-examination and continuation of trial.
Emefiele is being prosecuted by the EFCC on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disobedience to lawful directives and unlawful acts allegedly linked to the controversial naira redesign policy.
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