The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted claims that one of its key witnesses defended vehicle procurement contracts awarded during the tenure of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The EFCC clarified that Salawu Gana, a former head of the CBN procurement department and the 10th prosecution witness, did not justify the contracts but instead exposed irregularities in the bidding process.
According to a statement by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale on Tuesday, Gana revealed in court that confidential bidding information was leaked to April 1616, giving the company an unfair advantage in securing vehicle supply contracts.
“The witness told the Federal Capital Territory High Court, presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu, that contract awards for vehicle procurement at the CBN were manipulated in favor of April 1616 due to the leakage of sensitive bidding details,” the statement read.
Gana testified that three companies—RT Briscoe, Globe Motors, and April 1616—submitted quotations, but April 1616 was given inside information that allowed it to underbid the competition.
“We requested quotations from Globe Motors, RT Briscoe, and April 1616. April 1616 was provided with guidance on the in-house estimate, enabling it to submit the lowest bid at N69 million, compared to RT Briscoe’s N77.05 million and Globe Motors’ N77.18 million,” Gana told the court.
He further explained that while April 1616 received privileged pricing information, the other bidders were not given the same advantage. The procurement was later approved by Emefiele.
The former CBN governor is currently facing a 20-count amended charge, including allegations of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy, and obtaining $6.23 million under false pretenses.
