Emefiele: Witness Confirms Buhari And Boss Mustapha’s Signatures Were Forged

An EFCC witness, Bamaiyi Mairiga on Thursday told an FCT high court, Maitama that the signatures of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, were forged.

Gatekeepers News reports that Mairiga, a forensic document examiner with the EFCC, said this while testifying in the ongoing trial of the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, before Justice Hamza Muazu.

Emefiele is charged with an amended 20-count charge bordering on conferment of corrupt advantage, forgery, criminal breach of trust, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence.

The sacked CBN governor is accused in the charge of forging a document titled: Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions dated 26 January, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and purported same to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the Governor of the CBN.

He is further alleged to have, on Feb. 8, 2023 knowingly obtain, by false pretence, 6,230,000.00 dollars by falsely representing that the SGF via a letter dated 26 January, 2023 with Ref No. SGF 43/L.01/201 requested the CBN to provide a contingent logistic advance in the sum of $6,230,000 “in line with President’s directive”.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him.

Testifying as the sixth prosecution witness (PW6), Mairiga, said that he was on secondment to EFCC from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

He told the court that the forensic department of EFCC received a request for the examination of some signatures that were forwarded to the department.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN the witness told the court that as an expert, he knew as a fact that no two writers shared identical handwriting characteristics.

He added,two writers could not produce their writing exactly and no writer could exceed their skill level.

According to the PW6, “With this in mind, the signatures were examined for presence of life quality, slants, alignment, diacritical placement, pen movement, skill of execution and comparisons of class and individual characteristics against the specimen signatures.”