4.5bn Fraud: Emefiele’s Co-Defendant Admits Lying To EFCC

The second defendant, Henry Omoile, in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele, on Friday told a Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja that he lied in his extra-judicial statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Omoile, who was testifying in the trial-within-trial ordered by Justice Rahman Oshodi to determine the voluntariness of the statement, claimed that the statements labelled Exhibits TWT 1–4 did not contain genuine confessions.

He alleged that he was coerced into writing what the anti-graft agency’s investigators dictated.

The defendant stated, “I did not confess in that statement. I lied in my statement. EFCC threatened me that if I did not write what they wanted, they would charge me to court.”

The former CBN boss was arraigned before the court alongside Omoile on allegations of accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipts.

The anti-graft agency also accused the defendant of conferring a corrupt advantage on his associates, in contravention of the Corrupt Practices Act 2000.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

During cross-examination, Omoile admitted he was cautioned and signed the cautionary words.

The defendant denied filing any complaints or petitions against the EFCC team for threats.

Justice Oshodi has adjourned the case to April 17 for the adoption of final written submissions.