A prosecution witness, John Adetola, told a Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday that he received and handed over $400,000 to former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele while he was his Executive Assistant.
Adetola, the seventh prosecution witness in Emefiele’s ongoing trial over corruption allegations, admitted that he did not document the alleged delivery of the money.
The witness also testified that he did not provide any WhatsApp messages or phone calls to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that would substantiate his claim of having informed Emefiele about collecting the $400,000 on his behalf.
He further informed the trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, that he did not document the incident because he did not believe there was any need to do so then.
The EFCC had arraigned Emefiele and one Herry Omoile before the court on a 26-count charge of accepting gratification, gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt.
He was also accused of conferring a corrupt advantage on his associates contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act 2000.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
During his cross-examination on Monday, Adetola recounted that in 2018, he received a WhatsApp message from Mr Eric Odoh instructing him to collect the sum from John Ayoh and hand it over to Emefiele upon his arrival in Lagos.
He stated, “In 2018, I can not remember the specific date. Mr. Eric Odoh sent me a message on WhatsApp saying that I should collect $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former CBN Governor when he arrived in Lagos.
“I went to John Ayoh’s house in Lekki, he gave me an envelope, and I returned to the office and handed it to the former CBN Governor,” he said.
But when Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, asked if he had any evidence to prove his allegation, Adetola admitted that he had not kept any documentation of the alleged receipt of the $400,000.
When questioned whether he was being prosecuted for his involvement in the transaction, he replied no.
The witness also confirmed that in his extra-judicial statements made while in EFCC custody, he did not mention any WhatsApp or phone conversations with Emefiele regarding the money.
Adetola denied having any agreement with the EFCC to testify against Emefiele in exchange for immunity from prosecution, adding that the EFCC confronted him with WhatsApp printouts related to the alleged transaction.
Earlier in his testimony, Adetola indicated that he holds a Higher National Diploma in Secretarial Studies and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management.
He explained that as an executive assistant, he managed the secretariat and handled correspondence for the Governor’s office.
When asked to identify his direct supervisor, he said, “My direct boss is the 1st defendant (Emefiele). “The 1st defendant is the head of the secretariat, and I report directly to him.”
He also disclosed that he spent 11 days in EFCC custody, during which he was questioned about the alleged financial crimes involving the defendants. “I told the EFCC everything I knew regarding the alleged financial crimes,” he stated.
Adetola further testified that the EFCC never brought him face-to-face with either Emefiele or John Ayoh concerning the $400,000 transaction.
When the EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) asked the witness during re-examination why he did not document the $400,000 he allegedly collected on Emefiele’s behalf, Adetola responded, “I did not see any need for it.”
Justice Oshodi has adjourned the proceedings until today (Tuesday) to allow the trial to continue.
