A witness has told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, how a company, April 1616, received preferential treatment in vehicle procurement contracts at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the leadership of Godwin Emefiele as Governor of the apex bank.

Stephen Gana, the Prosecution Witness (PW10) and former Head of the Procurement Department, stated this in court.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Gana confirmed that he was in office during the period when contracts for vehicles, listed in Exhibits F4 to F45, were approved.

Gana testified in the ongoing case involving a 20-count amended charge brought against Emefiele by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Emefiele is accused of engaging in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence during his tenure as the CBN Governor.

Among the allegations is that Emefiele forged a document titled, Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions, dated January 26, 2023, with Ref. No. SGF.43/L.01/201, falsely claiming it originated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

He is also accused of using his office to confer unfair and corrupt advantages on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd—in a case marked FCT/HC/CR/577/2023.

The witness testified that Toyota vehicles, purchased at a cost of N99,900,000, were acquired from April 1616 through direct procurement. He added that this purchase, instead of going through selective bidding, was approved by Emefiele, who was within his approval limit of N100 million as Governor.

Referring to Exhibit F5, Gana explained that two Toyota Hilux vehicles were procured at N23,100,000 each through selective bidding. April 1616, being one of three competing companies, was awarded the contract for offering the lowest bid, which aligned with the CBN’s in-house estimate.

Gana further testified that at the CBN, contracts could be awarded either through direct procurement or selective bidding, depending on the guidance of the Director of Procurement. The Director worked closely with the Deputy Director, the Head of Procurement (himself), and the procurement officer.

Earlier, the defence counsel, Matthew Burkaa, opposed the prosecution’s amended proof of evidence, challenging the procedure and intent to call two witnesses.

Justice Hamza Muazu adjourned the case to November 13, 2024, for continuation and a ruling on the amended proof of evidence.