In the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, a prosecution witness, John Adetola, testified that he received and handed over $400,000 to Emefiele. Adetola, who served as Emefiele’s Executive Assistant, disclosed this while appearing before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Thursday.
Adetola stated that in 2018, he was instructed via WhatsApp by Eric Odoh Ocheme, Emefiele’s former Personal Assistant, to collect the money from John Ayoh, the CBN’s former Director of Information Technology. He testified that he delivered the funds to Emefiele upon his arrival in Lagos.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Emefiele and a co-defendant, Henry Omoile, on a 26-count charge involving gratification, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.
During cross-examination, Adetola detailed his responsibilities as Executive Assistant, which included managing office correspondences and coordinating with Emefiele’s family and colleagues. He also confirmed that the EFCC accessed his mobile phone during their investigation, where evidence of official communications and documents related to the case was found.
The prosecution sought to tender these documents as evidence, but the defense objected, citing non-compliance with Section 84 of the Evidence Act. Despite these objections, Justice Oshodi admitted the documents for identification purposes and adjourned the case to December 10 for further proceedings.
