On Thursday, a prosecution witness, John Adetola, testified before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, revealing that he received and delivered $400,000 to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, while serving as his Executive Assistant.
Adetola, the seventh witness for the prosecution in Emefiele’s ongoing trial, told Justice Rahman Oshodi that the money was collected on Emefiele’s behalf from John Ayoh, a former Director of Information Technology at the CBN.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Emefiele and Herry Omoile with 26 counts, including accepting gratification, receiving gifts through intermediaries, corruption, and fraudulent property acquisition. Emefiele is also accused of granting undue advantages to his associates in violation of the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During his testimony, Adetola stated that Eric Odoh Ocheme, Emefiele’s former Personal Assistant, instructed him to collect the money from Ayoh on behalf of the former CBN governor.
The witness, John Adetola, testified in court, stating: “In 2018, although I can’t recall the exact date, Mr. Eric Odoh Ocheme sent me a WhatsApp message instructing me to collect $400,000 from John Ayoh and deliver it to the former CBN Governor upon his arrival in Lagos.
“I went to Mr. Ayoh’s house in Lekki, Lagos, where he handed me an envelope. I later returned to the office and gave it to the former CBN Governor,” Adetola added.
Adetola outlined his responsibilities as an Executive Assistant, which included handling office correspondence, attending to visitors, and completing other assignments from his boss. He further explained that he joined the CBN in June 2014 after working at Veritas Registrars, previously Zenith Registrars, from 2007.
When questioned about his communication with Emefiele, Adetola said, “I communicate with the former CBN Governor through telephone, office line, email, and verbal discussions.” He also identified several of Emefiele’s family members, saying, “I know Mr. George and Mr. Okanta, who are his brothers. I also know his wife, Mrs. Margaret Emefiele, and the second defendant, Henry Omoile.”
Adetola recounted his invitation by the EFCC, stating, “In February 2023, I was invited to the EFCC office, where I was interviewed and voluntarily made a statement based on our discussions.”
When asked about his interactions with John Ayoh, he confirmed, “Yes, we worked together. Mr. Ayoh was the former Director of ICT.”
Adetola also revealed that EFCC officials accessed his phone, which contained office-related documents. After reviewing documents presented in court, EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo sought to tender them as evidence. However, defense lawyer Olalekan Ojo (SAN) objected, arguing that the documents lacked substantial compliance, as they were identified with the name “Idi Musa” rather than Adetola.
Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN), counsel for the second defendant, also opposed the documents’ admissibility, citing the lack of legal references by the prosecution. Despite objections, Oyedepo maintained the documents were being tendered for identification purposes and asked Adetola to describe their contents.
The witness explained, “The documents include official communications between myself and the governor via WhatsApp, exchanges with John Ogah and Eric Odoh, and documents related to Limelight, Commec, and Dummia Oil. They also pertain to the administration department for procurements.”
He confirmed the documents were retrieved from his phone and printed at the EFCC office, noting that he had signed them to authenticate their origin.
Both defense lawyers reiterated their objections, citing Section 84 of the Evidence Act. Kotoye further questioned the relevance of admitting the documents solely for identification purposes.
Justice Rahman Oshodi overruled the objections and admitted the documents as evidence, marking them for identification. The case was then adjourned to December 10 for further proceedings.
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