24th December, 2023
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, has denied a report alleging his involvement in the illegal withdrawal of $6.3 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, during the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to reports, a special investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu uncovered the alleged theft, which supposedly occurred on February 8, 2023 — weeks before the presidential election.
The report also alleged that Mustapha, alongside the embattled former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, ordered the removal of the cash under the guise of funding foreign election observer missions.
The investigator’s report claimed CCTV footage captured how the money was moved out of the CBN.
However, Mustapha, in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen on Saturday, emphatically refuted the accusations, calling them “outrageous and unsubstantiated”.
He described the allegation as a “malicious fabrication” and an “orchestrated” attempt to assassinate his character and besmirch my reputation.
The ex-SGF added that he lacked knowledge of the purported “Presidential Directive” cited in the report to justify the withdrawal.
He noted that he was never involved in discussions or transactions related to any payments for foreign election observers.
Mustapha quizzed the timing of the allegation, pointing to its publication during the “sensitive pre-Christmas period” as an indication that it was a deliberate attempt to exploit public sentiment and sow seeds of doubt.
The former SGF called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the matter, urging the authorities to “probe the source of the fabricated documents” and expose those behind the “smear” campaign.”
He equally appealed to the public and the media to exercise critical thinking and not succumb to misinformation.