Court Admits Fresh Evidence in Emefiele’s $4.5b Fraud Trial

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday admitted new evidence in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, who is facing $4.5 billion fraud allegations.

Emefiele is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 19-count charge bordering on corrupt practices and unlawful gratification. His co-defendant, Henry Omoile, faces a separate three-count charge for allegedly receiving illicit gifts in the course of official duty. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

At Thursday’s proceedings, Justice Oshodi overruled objections by the defence—led by Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo and Kazeem Gbadamosi—and admitted a bundle of digital communications extracted from the mobile phone of John Adetola, a former Executive Assistant to Emefiele.

“The court overrules the objection of the defence counsel and admits the documents as Exhibit G,” Justice Oshodi ruled.

The exhibit contained WhatsApp messages allegedly exchanged between Adetola and Omoile, in which Omoile was said to have instructed that $400,000 be delivered to “Oga” — a name the prosecution claims referred to Emefiele.

Prosecution witness Alvan Gurumnaan, led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), told the court that Adetola had confessed during interrogation that he physically delivered the cash to Ayo, a personal assistant to Emefiele.

“Adetola confirmed that he met Ayo in Lekki, Lagos, and handed over the $400,000. He later went to the CBN office in Lagos, where the money was allegedly handed to Emefiele,” Gurumnaan testified.

He added that an additional $200,000 was later delivered through the same route, with Ayo reportedly giving the cash directly to the former CBN governor.

According to Gurumnaan, a CBN contractor, Victor Oyedua, confirmed providing the $600,000 total sum, allegedly as a bribe to “settle management” in order to fast-track outstanding contract payments at the apex bank.

The prosecution further tendered internal documents from the CBN and a letter from a private company dated February 24, 2024, both of which were admitted as Exhibit H despite opposition from the defence.

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A Mi 10T smartphone, seized from Adetola while still powered and in flight mode, was also accepted into evidence as Exhibit I.

The EFCC then sought to tender statements allegedly made by Emefiele during interrogation. However, the defence objected, arguing that the statements were obtained under duress.

In response, Justice Oshodi ordered a trial-within-trial to determine whether Emefiele’s statements were made voluntarily. He also instructed both parties to report the progress of forensic analysis by November 21, 2025.

The case has been adjourned to December 2 and 3, 2025, for continuation of trial and for the trial-within-trial proceedings to begin.

Emefiele, who served as CBN governor from 2014 until his suspension in 2023, remains a central figure in one of the most high-profile anti-corruption cases in recent Nigerian history.