A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, told the Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Monday that he did not keep any record of delivering $400,000 in cash to the former governor.
The witness, John Adetola, who was Emefiele’s executive assistant, said he didn’t provide any call logs, messages, or receipts to support his claim when questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are facing 19 charges of alleged bribery and corruption involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
While testifying before Justice Rahman Oshodi, Adetola explained that he was instructed via WhatsApp in 2018 by a man named Eric Odoh to collect the cash from the former CBN Director of IT, John Ayoh, and give it to Emefiele in Lagos.
“In 2018, I can’t recall the exact date, but Eric Odoh sent me a WhatsApp message asking me to collect $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former governor. I went to Ayoh’s house in Lekki, collected an envelope, and gave it to Emefiele,” Adetola said.
When asked why he didn’t document the transaction, Adetola simply said, “I didn’t see any need for it.”
During cross-examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Adetola confirmed he is not being prosecuted and has no immunity deal with the EFCC. He also admitted that he never discussed the $400,000 with Emefiele and did not mention any such conversation in his statement to the EFCC.
He said, “I told the EFCC everything I knew about the alleged financial crimes.”
Adetola revealed that he was held in EFCC custody for 11 days but was never brought face-to-face with Emefiele or Ayoh. He also acknowledged being shown WhatsApp chat printouts by the EFCC, but insisted there was no proof of any communication with Emefiele regarding the money.
He repeated during questioning by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), that he didn’t think documenting the transaction was necessary.
Adetola, who holds a Higher National Diploma in Secretarial Studies and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, also explained that he reported directly to Emefiele, who headed the secretariat.
Under further questioning by Henry Omoile’s lawyer, Yinka Kotoye (SAN), Adetola confirmed he had no interactions with Omoile regarding the cash.
Justice Oshodi discharged the witness and adjourned the trial to today (Tuesday) for continuation.
