A prosecution witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) conducted a comprehensive, nationwide investigation into the alleged unlawful printing of new naira notes.
Eneanye Chinedu, identified in court as Prosecution Witness Seven (PW7) and Head of EFCC’s Special Duty Committee 3, said he coordinated the investigative team alongside officers Buhari, Lanre, Adamu Alhaji and Ganiyu Olaibe. Under cross-examination by defence counsel Olalekan Ojo, SAN, PW7 confirmed that his evidence-in-chief contained the essential findings of the EFCC investigation and that no vital aspect was omitted.
He explained that while he did not personally interrogate Emefiele, other team members conducted interviews with the former CBN governor. “I did not have any direct interaction with the defendant, but he was interrogated by members of my team,” PW7 said.
During proceedings, the defence presented several video reports highlighting the hardship Nigerians experienced during the naira redesign policy, including footage from News Central, TVC, Arise News, and clips featuring former governors Nasir el-Rufai, Bello Matawalle, and Yahaya Bello. PW7 clarified that the EFCC team had no involvement in producing the videos and that none of the reporters or presenters were interviewed. He stressed that the investigation involved EFCC zonal offices across the country, including Abuja and Lagos, and included visits to the CBN and commercial banks to monitor cash disbursement.
The witness also confirmed that Emefiele provided multiple statements to the EFCC on October 26, 27, 30 and 31, 2023, as well as November 1 and 2, 2023. Regarding claims by the defendant that former EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa briefed the late President Muhammadu Buhari on the redesign policy, PW7 stated that the EFCC has no authority to initiate policy decisions and that Emefiele offered no additional evidence to support the claim.
The investigation reportedly extended to the State House, from which the team received and reviewed a written response as part of the inquiry. PW7 told the court he was not aware of any executive order by the late President concerning the currency redesign.
Justice Maryanne Anineh adjourned the case to February 3 and 10, April 1 and 2, 2026, with further hearing dates scheduled for May 11–14 and June 9–10, 2026.
