Kemisola Oye
JOHN Adetola, former Executive Assistant to the embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has told a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja that he handed over $400,000.00 to the erstwhile top banker,
Adetola narrated this before Justice Rahman Oshodi when he was led- in evidence by the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
Emefiele is standing trial for abuse of office and $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud while in office while Henry Omoile is standing trial over alleged acceptance of gift by agents.
The witness told the court that he was Executive Assistant to the former CBN Governor and that part of his responsibilities was to manage office correspondence, attend to visitors and other tasks.
In his testimony, Adetola, the seventh prosecution witness, said he joined the CBN in June 2014, but before” I worked with Zenith Registrar before it became Veritas Registrar.”
He also told the court that he knew the former CBN Governor, Emefiele as the Managing Director of Zenith Bank before he started work at the CBN. He added that he communicates with him through telephone, email and verbal communication.
The witness also told the court that when he was invited by the EFCC, he made a voluntary statement based on the interview the official had with him.
According to him, “In February 2023. I received an invitation from the EFCC. I was in Ekiti, where I was posted. I was invited over my relationship with the former CBN governor. I traveled to the EFCC office in Lagos, and I made voluntary statements.
“By virtue of the job I do, I know some of his family members. I know Mr George, Mr Okanta and his wife, Margaret. I know Mr Eric Odoh, he was my colleague in Abuja and he is also a Personal Assistant to the former CBN Governor and I have seen him before at his office.
“I know Mr John Ogah, and he was the Office Assistant to the Governor. I also know Mr Sunday Osazuwa; we worked together in the Lagos office. He was a senior supervisor.”
The witness further told the court that in the course of his duty, he interacted with John Ayo, the former Director of ICT.
“In 2018, Mr Eric Odoh, the Personal Assistant to the Governor in Abuja, sent me a message that I should go and meet Mr John Ayoh, the former Director of the ICT Department, to collect 400,000 dollars and give it to the Governor whenever he was in Lagos.
“I went to Mr Ayoh’s house in Lekki and he gave me the envelope. I came back to the office and gave the envelope to the Governor.”
Adetola further told the court that he informed EFCC about the 400,000 USD in the course of his interrogation.
He also confirmed to the court that he knew one George and Okanta, who were Emefiele’s younger brothers and the Governor’s wife, Margaret, by virtue of the relationship he had with his boss.
Adetola also confirmed to the court that the second defendant, Henry Omoile lived in Emefiele’s house in Lagos.
The witness also identified bundles of documents which were official communication between himself and the embattled ex-Governor, himself and Ayoh and Odoh.
The prosecution sought that the bundles of documents be tendered for identification purposes.
Emefiele’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN) did not object to the tendering of the documents for identification purposes.
However, the second defendant’s lead counsel, Mr Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN), objected and argued that the documents had no basis in law.
According to Kotoye, if a document is not tendered as an exhibit, it should not be tendered at all.
Oyedepo responded that the documents were relevant and sought to prove essential ingredients of the alleged offences and the documents are for the purpose of identification. He cited the decision of the court in the case of Mohammed versus State reported in 2015 Law Pavilion Electronic Report (LEPLR) (CA) 25715.
In a bench ruling, Justice Oshodi admitted the bundles of documents for identification purposes, marked as I.D (1), after considering the party’s submissions.
Justice Oshodi subsequently adjourned the case till 10 December 2024 for cross-examination of the witness.
Eighteen-Eleven Media