In a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Thursday, John Adetola, a prosecution witness and former Executive Assistant to embattled ex-Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, provided testimony about collecting $400,000 on behalf of his former boss.
Adetola revealed the transaction during questioning by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
He detailed how he was summoned from his new posting in Ekiti State to Lagos to retrieve the money.
“In 2018, I was instructed via WhatsApp by Mr. Eric Odoh, the personal assistant to the CBN Governor, to collect $400,000 from Mr. John Ayoh, the former Director of ICT,” Adetola testified.
“I went to Mr. Ayoh’s house in Lekki, Lagos, collected the money in an envelope, and handed it over to the former CBN Governor when he arrived in Lagos.”
The EFCC presented documents retrieved from Adetola’s phone as evidence.
These documents included official communications between Adetola, Ayoh, and Odoh, as well as records of other office-related transactions.
Adetola confirmed their authenticity, stating they were printed by the EFCC during his interrogation.
Although Emefiele’s defense team initially objected to the admissibility of the documents, the court admitted them for identification purposes.
Adetola’s testimony also highlighted his close working relationship with Emefiele, whom he had known since his time as Managing Director of Zenith Bank.
He described his duties at the CBN as including managing correspondences, attending to visitors, and other tasks assigned by the former governor.
The witness further stated that he was interviewed by the EFCC in February 2023, where he voluntarily disclosed details about his interactions with Emefiele and other CBN officials.
Defense counsel for Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Omoile, objected to the relevance of the documents, arguing that they had no legal basis.
However, EFCC prosecutor Oyedepo insisted that the materials were crucial to proving elements of the charges against the defendants.
Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case to December 10 for the cross-examination of the witness.
This ongoing trial adds to the controversies surrounding Emefiele, who has faced several allegations of financial misconduct during his tenure as CBN Governor.
The case continues to draw significant public and legal scrutiny.