Crime
Buhari’s Signature Forged To Withdraw $6.2m From CBN, – Ex-SGF, Mustapha
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha has disclosed that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature was forged by those who withdrew $6,230,000 from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on February 8, 2023.
Mustapha, who was testifying on Tuesday in the trial of former Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, said his signature was also forged.
He added that he knew nothing about the money said to have been withdrawn for the payment of foreign election observers.
The ex-SGF, who spoke as a prosecution witness, told a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama that it was not the business of the Federal Government or the office of the SGF to request for funds from the CBN for the payment of foreign election observers.
He said it was solely the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deal with issues relating to election observers and other election-related matters.
A Deputy Director in the CBN, Michael Onyeka Ogbu had told the court on Monday that the money was handed in cash to an official from the office of the SGF named Jibril Abubakar upon approvals by President Buhari and Emefiele following a request by the SGF.
The prosecution is accusing Emefiele of being behind the withdrawal.
Led in evidence by the lawyer to the prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Mustapha, dressed in blue kaftan and a cap, identified Emefiele (who was seated in the dock) when asked if he knew who the defendant in the case was.
Mustapha, who said he is a lawyer and called to the Nigerian Bar in 1980, said Emefiele was the Governor of the CBN when he served as the SGF from 2017 to 2023.
When asked if he knew anything about the transaction relating to the payment of the $6,230,000, Mustapha said: “I wish to state that, up until when I left office, I knew nothing about this transaction.”
He was then shown a document, marked as Exhibit PD7 said to be a letter from President Buhari, approving the payment and asked if he recognised the document.
Mustapha said he was seeing the document for the first time in the court and that he never came across the document before.
He added: “On the face value of this document, having served (as the SGF) for five years and months, I can say that this document did not emanate from the office of the president.”
He gave reasons why he believed the document was not from Buhari to include that a correspondence that has the seal of the President, does not carry a reference number, adding that the seal serves the authority.
“Looking at the signature, it is a faint attempt at reproducing President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature,” he said.
He also faulted the document on the ground that it was purported to convey a decision of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which is not normally conveyed via letters.
“I have looked at it. I have read it. Federal Executive Council’s decisions are not transmitted by letter. They are transmitted through extracts. After conclusions are adopted.
“I am the custodian of the record of the Federal Executive Council. So for that reason, the President will not be referring the conclusion of EXCO to me.
“In all the five years and seven months that I served, I have never heard of the term – Special Appropriation Provision – that was referred to here (in the letter),” Mustapha said.
The witness said he was only familiar with appropriation, as provided by the Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly and Supplementary Appropriation.
He also faulted the concluding part of the letter, saying that it was unusual for the President to end his letter to the SGF by saying “Please accept the assurances of my highest regard.”
He said being the President’s subordinate, his letter to the SGF cannot end in that manner.
Mustapha also said the Nigerian government has no business funding foreign election observers, adding: “That I know as a fact because I have managed two election circles. INEC has the sole responsibility in that area.”
On the claim in the letter that the decision to approve money for foreign election observers was taken at the 187th FEC meeting held on January 18, 2023, the witness said it was not true.
He agreed that there was actually a FEC meeting on January 18, 2023 but that the meeting was presided over by the Vice President because the President was not around.
The witness also said the issue of payment to foreign election observers never featured on the meeting’s agenda which he prepared as the SGF.
“My role as the secretary is to prepare the agenda for the meeting and on that day there was a 16-point agenda. There was no item on the agenda that has to do with payment to foreign election observers,” he pointed out.
When shown another document, marked: Exhibit PD6, said to be his letter conveying the presidential approval to the Governor of the CBN, Mustapha also faulted it.
He said: “To the best of my knowledge, this letter did not emanate from the office of the SGF. If it did not emanate from the office, then I did not sign it. No, I did not sign it.”
A South African court has sentenced opposition leader Julius Malema to five years in prison following his conviction for illegal possession and public discharge of a firearm.
Malema, who leads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was found guilty on multiple counts linked to a 2018 incident during the party’s fifth anniversary celebration in the Eastern Cape.
At the event, he was captured in a widely circulated video firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air.
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According to court proceedings, Malema argued that the act was merely celebratory.
However, the court rejected his defence, ruling that the action was not spontaneous but deliberate.
The presiding magistrate described the incident as premeditated and emphasized that Malema’s position as a prominent political figure placed a higher burden of responsibility on him.
The charges against him included unlawful possession of a firearm, discharging a weapon in public, and reckless endangerment.
The court held that such actions posed a serious threat to public safety and could not be excused under any circumstances.
Despite the five-year sentence, Malema was granted leave to appeal, meaning he will not be taken into custody immediately.
He walked free from the courtroom and was greeted by hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside.
Addressing the crowd, Malema alleged that the ruling was politically motivated, claiming that certain forces were attempting to silence him.
His supporters responded with chants and songs, showing continued loyalty to the outspoken politician.
Malema, a former youth leader of the African National Congress (ANC), was expelled after a fallout with former President Jacob Zuma.
He later founded the EFF, which has since grown into one of South Africa’s most influential opposition parties.
Reacting to the development, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula suggested that the case reflected broader political tensions.
However, lobby group AfriForum, which initiated the case after the video surfaced, insisted the prosecution was based strictly on enforcing the law.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has issued a warrant of arrest against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, over their alleged involvement in a multi-million naira fraud case.
The arrest order was issued on Thursday, April 16, 2026, by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court after the two defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment.
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The duo, alongside a third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, are facing a 21-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges border on alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards, and the diversion of public funds totaling $1.3 million and N746,574,303.
At Thursday’s proceedings, only Mohammed was present in court.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences occurred between May 2021 and September 2022 in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency accused Farouq and Alkali of misappropriating funds meant to be refunded to the ministry by a private firm, Visual ICT Limited.
The money was reportedly linked to excess payments under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that although the charges were filed on December 15, 2025, the two defendants could not initially be served.
He added that despite assurances from their legal representatives, they failed to present themselves in court.
Jacobs further revealed that Farouq had earlier requested the release of her passport for a medical trip to Saudi Arabia in 2024 but has yet to return it or provide any medical report to justify her absence.
“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned it to the Commission, and no medical report has been submitted,” Jacobs stated, questioning the validity of the health claims presented by her counsel.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, attributed his client’s absence to ill health and attempted to tender an affidavit to that effect, but the court rejected the application.
The EFCC also sought to amend an earlier ex-parte motion to focus on the first and second defendants and requested a bench warrant to compel their appearance.
The prosecution supported its request with an affidavit stating that both defendants had been granted administrative bail but failed to report back.
In response, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant a six-week extension to produce Farouq in court.
However, in his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the EFCC’s application and issued a warrant for the arrest of the two defendants.
The case was subsequently adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and commencement of trial.
Pandemonium broke out at a private hospital in Ikotun, Lagos, after a woman accused medical staff of withholding one of her twins following childbirth.
The incident, which has since gone viral on social media, captured the emotional moment the woman—identified as 28-year-old Blessing Isioma David—stormed the hospital premises while clutching a newborn and demanding answers over the whereabouts of her second baby.
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In the video, the distraught mother is heard shouting, “Where is my baby? I did not come here to lose my child,” drawing attention from other patients and passersby.
Those who accompanied her also joined in the confrontation, calling on authorities to arrest the hospital staff over suspected foul play.
According to reports, the woman had earlier undergone an obstetric scan in March 2026, which indicated a twin pregnancy.
The scan reportedly showed two foetuses with normal heart activity, further fueling her insistence that she delivered two babies.
However, the hospital, identified as Tip-Top Solution Hospital, has denied the allegation.
The Medical Director, Dr. Sunday Babajide, maintained that only one baby was delivered, attributing the confusion to an error in the initial scan.
He explained that the patient’s husband was present during the delivery and witnessed the birth of only one child, adding that the mother was conscious throughout the procedure.
Babajide noted that scans done at certain stages of pregnancy could sometimes produce inaccurate results, especially if not confirmed with follow-up examinations.
“The mistake was that we didn’t insist on another scan to verify the result,” he admitted, while dismissing claims of baby trafficking or misconduct.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos has confirmed that it has commenced an investigation into the matter.
Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the Command is working with relevant medical authorities to determine the truth behind the conflicting claims.
She added that the Area Commander in charge of the district is personally overseeing the case, assuring the public that findings will be made known once investigations are concluded.
Residents have been urged to remain calm as authorities work to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident, which has continued to generate heated reactions online.
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