EFCC Fined N500,000 for Seeking Multiple Adjournments in Emefiele’s Trial Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Hamza Muazu of a Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Tuesday imposed a N500,000 fine on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for seeking multiple adjournments in the trial of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
However, the Commission was granted permission to call its last witness and the N500,000 fine to be paid to Emefiele. The anti-graft agency is prosecuting Emefiele on an amended 20-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence while serving as CBN Governor.
The EFCC, in the charge marked: FCT/HC/CR/577/2023 alleged that the former CBN boss knowingly obtained, by pretence, the sum of $6,230,000, purportedly meant for international election observers for the 2023 general election.
Additionally, the anti-graft agency claims that Emefiele conferred corrupt advantages on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd — in the award of contracts.
He had, however, denied all the counts preferred against him in the charge. When the matter was called on Tuesday, Mr. Abbas Mohammed, who represented the prosecution, informed the court that in line with the prosecution’s request at the proceedings of March 5, 2026, the prosecution had obtained the certified copies of the Code of Conduct forms of the defendant and would be substituting the 2014 with that of 2019.
Mohammed added that following the above, he has been communicating with the witness, DCP Eloho Okpozoiakpo, who only told him that before he could appear in court, leave must be sought from the Inspector General of Police. He added that the witness is also unavailable for the day’s proceedings as he was scheduled to appear before another court.
The prosecution counsel thereafter requested “an adjournment to call our last witness.” Responding, Emefiele’s lawyer, Mr. Mathew Burkaa said, “We are opposed to that application,” because the prosecution has exceeded the number of times it can ask for an adjournment in the trial.
He listed the dates the EFCC had requested for adjournment to include: November 28, 2023; March 7, 2024; August 24, 2024; October 21, 2024; November 13, 2024; February 3, 2025; September 23, 2025; adding that the request of March 16, 2026, makes it “the eight at the instance of the prosecution.”
“At the proceedings of September 23, Mr. Wara appeared before the court and stated that they are going to call their last witness. After that, they have called two; yesterday, it was adjourned at the instance of the prosecution.”
Citing Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA, 2015, Burkaa argued that nobody should be entitled to more than five adjournments, adding that this would be the eighth adjournment the court would be granting the prosecution.
Delivering ruling, trial judge, Justice Hamza Muazu held that Section 396 of the ACJA also cloths the judge with the discretion to grant an adjournment. While stating that the witness is one that he was not ready to shut out, Justice Muazu held that, “I shall grant the prosecution the adjournment to call their last witness in terms of N500,000 as cost. “The money to be paid before the next adjourned date”.
He subsequently adjourned to April 27, for the EFCC to call its last witness against Emefiele, in the alleged procurement fraud trial. So far, the anti-graft agency has called 12 witnesses in its bid to establish the charge against the former CBN boss.
to Unveil £746m UK Deal for Nigeria’s Biggest Port Upgrade in 50 Years Meanwhile, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, is set to unveil a landmark £746 million financing agreement with the UK that would deliver the most ambitious modernisation of Nigeria’s seaport infrastructure in nearly half a century.
The historic financing arrangement, secured with the backing of UK Export Finance (UKEF), he said, would fund the comprehensive modernisation and upgrade of the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, popularly known as Apapa Port, and the Tin Can Island Port Complex in Lagos. Together, the two ports, he revealed, handle more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s imports and exports, and serve as the central arteries of the nation’s maritime trade.
The landmark financing agreement, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Bolaji Akinola, would be formally signed during the visit of the President, signalling a deepening of strategic economic cooperation between Nigeria and the UK.
The Minister, the statement read, described the financing package as a transformative milestone for the country’s port system, noting that the scale and scope of the modernisation project mark the first comprehensive overhaul of the facilities since their establishment.
Oyetola said the project forms a central pillar of the federal government’s broader agenda to unlock the vast economic potential of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy while restoring efficiency and global competitiveness to the country’s maritime infrastructure.
“This financing agreement represents a defining moment for Nigeria’s maritime sector,” the minister said. “For decades, Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port have borne the weight of our national trade, yet their infrastructure has not kept pace with the scale and complexity of modern global shipping.
“What we are set to do is not merely an upgrade, but a comprehensive transformation that will bring our ports into alignment with international best practice,” he added. He emphasised that the partnership with the UK reflects a shared commitment to strengthening economic cooperation and advancing sustainable maritime development.
“Through this historic collaboration with the United Kingdom, we are laying the groundwork for a new era in the management and operation of Nigerian ports,” Oyetola added. “Modern infrastructure supported by digitalised and automated processes will significantly enhance efficiency, transparency and operational reliability.
Our objective is to create a port system that is modern, competitive and capable of serving as a strategic maritime hub for West and Central Africa.”
The Minister added that the transformation of the two port complexes would strengthen Nigeria’s strategic position within regional and global maritime networks, attracting greater shipping traffic and reinforcing the country as a vital gateway for trade across West and Central Africa.
The Lagos Port Complex Apapa, established in 1913, has for more than a century remained Nigeria’s oldest and busiest seaport, serving as the gateway for a vast proportion of the nation’s imports and exports.
The Tin Can Island Port Complex was later developed to complement Apapa and was officially commissioned on 14 October 1977. Despite their strategic importance, neither facility has experienced a modernisation programme of this magnitude, making the initiative the most significant port upgrade undertaken by the Federal Government in almost fifty years.
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