Boss Mustapha, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made an appearance at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Tuesday to testify in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Emefiele faces a 20-count amended charge, including allegations of corruption, conspiracy, and obtaining by false pretenses totaling $6,230,000.
He is accused of impersonating the SGF to unlawfully obtain the funds.
Appearing as Prosecution Witness 2, Mustapha disclaimed knowledge of the transaction, stating that he had no involvement until the end of his tenure in May 2023.
He added that having served for five years and seven months, the document in question did not originate from the office of then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Earlier on Monday, a First Prosecution Witness (PW1), Onyeka Ogbu, the Deputy Director of Branch Operations at the CBN, explained how Emefiele approved the $6.2 million payment for international election observers in the 2023 general election.
In court on Tuesday, the former SGF stated that all the time he served in government, he never heard of the term “Special Appropriation Provision”.
The two terms known to him are “Appropriation” and “Supplementary”.
Mustapha also said in all the correspondences he ever received from former President Buhari, he never concluded with “Please accept with my highest regard,” saying the signature was a failed attempt at reproducing Buhari’s signature.
He affirmed that the Federal Government had no jurisdiction over the payment of foreign election observers, stating that Federal Executive Council decisions were not transmitted via letters.
