Justice Maryanne Anenih of the FCT High Court has fixed ten new dates to conclude the trial of former Central Bank governor Godwin Emefiele.
The case, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), concerns allegations linked to the 2023 naira redesign.
The dates, agreed upon by both EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) and Emefiele’s lawyer Olalekan Ojo (SAN), span from February through June.
Justice Anenih urged both sides to respect the schedule to ensure a smooth trial process.
An EFCC operative, Emere Chinedu, told the court that the Presidency, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, officially approved the naira redesign.
However, the approval stipulated that printing of the new notes must be done within Nigeria, not abroad, as carried out under Emefiele.
Chinedu, who led the Inter-Agency Probe Panel investigating Emefiele, noted that the former governor gave six extra-judicial statements in his defense between October 26 and November 2, 2023.
The EFCC presented video clips from various TV stations highlighting challenges Nigerians faced during the redesign.
Chinedu admitted the videos were downloaded from the internet and that the probe panel did not interview TV station staff responsible for the content.
Further questioning of Chinedu by Emefiele’s counsel has been postponed to February 3.
The court emphasised that the trial will proceed according to the fixed timeline, underscoring the urgency of concluding proceedings that began in 2024.
