In court, a witness testifies that he received $400,000 for Emefiele.
An important development in the current trial of former Governor Godwin Emefiele of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the accusation made by Mr. John Adetola, a crucial prosecution witness, that he personally collected $400,000 on behalf of his former employer.
In his court testimony on Thursday, Adetola, who was Emefiele’s executive assistant, described how he got the money from John Ayoh, the former head of the CBN’s ICT department.
Adetola personally gave Emefiele the money after calling him to pick it up from Ayoh in Lagos.
“I had direct access to the former CBN Governor because I was responsible for managing office correspondence, greeting guests, and completing tasks assigned by him.”
He explained how Mr. Eric Odoh, Emefiele’s personal assistant, reached out to him on WhatsApp in 2018 to arrange for the money to be picked up.
When I visited John Ayoh’s home in Lekki, Lagos, he gave me an envelope. Later, at Emefiele’s office, I handed him the money,” he added.
Additionally, Adetola attested to his correspondence with the former CBN Governor, writing that he had spoken with Emefiele over the phone, via email, and in person.
He also named Emefiele’s siblings, wife, and co-defendant Henry Omoile, among other members of his family.
Adetola and Ayoh exchanged a number of messages during the trial, which were eventually presented as evidence in court after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) gained access to his phone.
However, the defense team objected to the documents’ inclusion, claiming they lacked legal justification. The court nevertheless permitted the marking of the documents for the purpose of identification.
Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case until December 10 for the cross-examination of the witness.
