A former Executive Assistant to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), John Adetola, on Thursday elaborately explained to the Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja how he handed over $400,000 to the embattled former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The embattled Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are facing trial on 26 counts, bordering on abuse of office alleged $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud.
Adetola, who spoke as an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) witness while testifying before Justice Rahman Oshodi, as the seventh prosecution witness being led in evidence by the anti-graft agency’s prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said he was summoned from Ekiti, his new posting place, to appear before the court.
He testified: “In 2018, I can’t remember the date, Mr. Eric Odoh sent me a message on WhatsApp that I should go and collect the sum of $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former CBN Governor when he came to Lagos.
“I went to the house of John Ayoh at Lekki in Lagos. He gave me an envelope and I came back to the office, and I gave it to the former CBN Governor”, the witness added.
Adetola told the court that before he joined the CBN in 2014, he worked at Veritas Registrars, formerly Zenith Registrars, which he joined in 2007.”
According to him, at the apex bank he worked as Executive Assistant to the embattled governor, and he managed office correspondences, attended to visitors, and performed other tasks as assigned to his boss.
He told the court that he knew Emefiele as the Managing Director of Zenith Bank before he started working at the apex bank
When asked to mention his means of communication with Emefiele, the witness replied that he normally communicated “with the former CBN Governor through telephone, office line, email, and verbal communication.”
Again, when asked to name some of Emefiele’s family members, the witness said he knew the second defendant, Henry Omoile; Messrs. George, and Okanta as the former CBN governor’s brothers as well as Mrs Margaret Emefiele as his wife.
Giving an account about how he was invited by the EFCC, Adetola said: “In February 2023, I received an invitation from the EFCC to come to their office. They interviewed me. I travelled to the EFCC office in Lagos and made voluntary statements.”
Similarly, when he was asked by the prosecutor if, in the course of duties to the former apex bank governor, he had any interaction with John Ayoh, he confirmed that they both worked together, with John Ayoh as the former Director of the ICT.
Adetola also told the court that his phone was assessed by the EFCC investigators and he was questioned based on some printed office documents, the copies which were seen by the prosecutors.
He clarified: “In 2018, I can’t remember the date, Mr Eric sent me a message on WhatsApp that I should go collect $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former CBN Governor when he comes to Lagos.
“I went to the house of John Ayoh at Lekki in Lagos State; he gave me an envelope, and I came back to the office; I gave it to the former CBN Governor,” the witness added.
Efforts by the prosecution to tender the documents as exhibits were resisted by the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN).
In a bench ruling Justice Oshodi dismissed the objection by the defence and the documents were admitted as exhibits “a combination of official communication between the witness and Emefiele via Whatsapp, between the witness and John Ogah and Eric Odoh.”
The court subsequently adjourned further hearing in the matter to December 10 this year.
