Emefiele, Lawyer Absent As Court Adjourns Alleged Naira Redesign Trial

The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over the alleged unlawful redesign of the naira was on Thursday stalled, after he and his lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), failed to appear before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja.

At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel, Abbas Mohammed, informed Justice Maryanne Anenih that the defence was absent despite the prosecution having two witnesses ready to testify.

According to Mohammed, the prosecution’s ninth witness and another witness from the Federal Ministry of Finance were present in court.

He, however, disclosed that after contacting Emefiele’s lawyer, the defence claimed it was unaware of the adjourned hearing date.

“My lord, the defence and the defendant are not in court. We received today’s date from the court registrar. Our witness, 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.

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“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,” the prosecutor said.

Following the application, Justice Anenih adjourned the case to October 6 and 7, 2026, for the continuation of trial.

Emefiele is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disobedience to lawful directives and unlawful acts said to have caused hardship to Nigerians through the controversial naira redesign policy.

The former CBN governor has pleaded not guilty to the charges and continues to challenge the allegations before the court.