The trial of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the alleged unlawful redesign of the naira was on Thursday stalled at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, following the absence of both the defendant and his lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN.
The case, which is before Justice Maryanne Anenih, could not proceed as scheduled after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) informed the court that Emefiele and his legal team were not present for the hearing.
When the matter was called, prosecution counsel, Abbas Mohammed, told the court that although the prosecution had assembled its witnesses, including its ninth prosecution witness (PW9) and another witness from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the trial could not continue due to the absence of the defence.
Mohammed explained that the prosecution had received the hearing date from the court registrar and had made adequate preparations for the continuation of the trial.
According to him, he contacted Emefiele’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, who stated that the defence was unaware that the matter had been scheduled for hearing on Thursday.
“My Lord, the defence and the defendant are not in court. We received today’s date from the court registrar. Our witness, PW9, is present in court, as well as another witness from the Federal Ministry of Finance. I spoke with learned Silk for the defence, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, SAN, who informed me that they were unaware of the adjourned date. In view of the absence of the defendant and his counsel, we respectfully pray the court for another date to enable us to present our witnesses,” Mohammed told the court.
Following the application, Justice Anenih adjourned the matter until October 6 and 7, 2026, for the continuation of trial.
Emefiele is facing prosecution by the EFCC on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disobedience to lawful directives and unlawful acts said to have caused harm to members of the public through the implementation of the controversial naira redesign policy introduced during his tenure as CBN governor.
The anti-graft agency alleges that the actions surrounding the implementation of the policy violated lawful directives and adversely affected Nigerians during the cash scarcity that followed the redesign of the nation’s currency.
The former CBN governor has denied the allegations and is contesting the charges before the court.
With Thursday’s proceedings unable to go forward, the prosecution is expected to present its remaining witnesses when the trial resumes in October.
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