In a recent court testimony, Agboro Omowera, a witness from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), disclosed that ten officials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including former governor Godwin Emefiele, signed documents approving multi-million contracts for April 1616 and Architekon Nigeria Limited.
The EFCC alleged that Emefiele authorized a payment of N97.9 million to Architekon Nigeria Ltd, a company where his wife and brother-in-law serve as directors, for office furniture for the CBN, raising suspicions of corruption.
During the trial, the EFCC investigator, questioned by the defendant's lawyer, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), revealed that ten individuals were involved in the contract awarding process, with Emefiele ultimately bearing responsibility as the head of the CBN.
The contracts awarded to April 1616 Investment Limited included supplying over 45 Toyota Hilux vehicles, with prices ranging from N854,700,000 to N99,900,000.
Investigations by the EFCC, in collaboration with other agencies such as the Department of State Services, revealed that while Yaro's husband owned other businesses, only the one where his wife was a director received contracts from the CBN.
Omowera noted that April 1616 Investment Limited, a company where Sahadatu Ramalan Yaro, a CBN employee, served as a director, began receiving CBN contracts shortly after her employment with the bank. Despite lacking a track record, the company secured numerous contracts for Toyota-branded vehicles, raising suspicions regarding the fairness of the procurement process.
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