A former executive assistant to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ex-governor, Godwin Emefiele, has revealed how he delivered $400,000 to his former boss. The testimony came during a court hearing on Thursday at the Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja, presided over by Justice Rahman Oshodi.
The witness, John Adetola, who is the seventh prosecution witness in the ongoing case, described the incident while being questioned by the prosecutor from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
Emefiele and a co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are currently facing 26 charges related to alleged fraud involving $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
Adetola testified that he was instructed in 2018 to retrieve $400,000 from a former CBN Director of ICT, John Ayoh, and deliver it to Emefiele in Lagos.
He said: “In 2018, I can’t remember the date, Mr. Eric Odoh sent me a message on WhatsApp that I should go and collect the sum of $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former CBN Governor when he came to Lagos.
“I went to the house of John Ayoh at Lekki in Lagos. He gave me an envelope and I came back to the office, and I gave it to the former CBN Governor.”
The witness told the court that he was the Executive Assistant to the former CBN Governor, and he managed office correspondences, attended to visitors, and performed other tasks as assigned to his boss.
“I joined the CBN in June 2014, but initially, I was with Veritas Registrars, formerly Zenith Registrars. I joined the company in 2007.”
He also stated that he knew the former CBN Governor as the Managing Director of Zenith Bank before he started working at the CBN.
Asked to mention his means of communication with Emefiele, the witness replied, “I communicate with the former CBN Governor through telephone, office line, email, and verbal communication.”
Asked to name some of Emefiele’s family members, the witness said, “I know Mr. George, I know Mr Okanta. They are Mr Emefiele’s brothers. I know his wife, Mrs Margaret Emefiele. I know the second defendant, Henry Omoile.”
The witness also gave an account of how he was invited by the EFCC.
“In February 2023, I received an invitation from the EFCC to come to their office. They interviewed me. I travelled to the EFCC office in Lagos and made voluntary statements.”
When asked by the prosecutor if in the course of discharging his duties to the former CBN Governor, he had any interaction with John Ayoh.
“Yes, we work together; John Ayoh was the former Director of the ICT,” the witness said.
Adetola also informed the court that his phone was assessed by the EFCC and he was questioned based on some office documents that were seen which were printed out.
“In 2018, I can’t remember the date, Mr Eric sent me a message on WhatsApp that I should go collect $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former CBN Governor when he comes to Lagos.
“I went to the house of John Ayoh at Lekki in Lagos State; he gave me an envelope, and I came back to the office; I gave it to the former CBN Governor,” the witness said.
