Again, EFCC Witness Admits He Didn’t Bribe Emefiele

Funke Olaode

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court yesterday granted the request of the defence to recall the first prosecution witness, Monday  Osazuwa, in the alleged abuse of office and multi-billion case levelled against the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
When the case was called, the counsel to Emefiele’s co-defendant, Mr. Kazeem Gbadamosi, notified the court of a motion on notice dated May 6 and sought the indulgence of the court to recall Osazuwa,
Osazuwa, had on April 12 testified how the embattled governor, on different occasions, directed him to collect three million dollars cash in tranches.
Oshodi, granted the application of Gbadamosi to recall the witness, following no objections from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo.
He said: “In the motion on notice dated May 6 and filed on May 7, the second defence counsel seeks an order to recall the first prosecution witness (PW1).
“The second defence counsel seeks to further cross-examine PWI on matters listed in paragraph 4 D on the affidavit in support of the application.
“The recall was also premised on nine grounds and the six paragraph affidavits was filed in support of the application and equally is a written address filed on May 7. The prosecution did not file a rebuttal and I hereby grant the application.”
EFCC counsel, then prayed  the court for a leave to further examine the fourth prosecution witness, a contractor, who had started his evidence-in-chief on May 9 and the leave was granted by the court.
The witness, Managing Director, The Source Computers Limited, Mr. Victor Onyejiuwa, in his continuation of his examination, told  the court  that  there was an error in his extra-judicial statement regarding the location where the $600,000 was given to the second prosecution witness, a former Director of Information Technology of CBN, Mr. John Ayoh,
According to him, the sum of $400,000  was given to Ayoh in Lagos while $200,000 was given to him in Abuja.
Under cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, the witness said he wrote the statement in the presence of his lawyer, Mr. Olukayode Enitan, but he was aware of the error later.
He confirmed to the court that there were only two errors in his statement and that was released to his lawyer after he wrote the extra judicial statement.
According to him, “Apart from the two errors, there are no other errors in my statement but there are omissions because I wrote 2014 to 2018 instead of 2014 to 2020.
“As a businessman of over 20 years of experience, I know I have a civic duty not to give bribe to anybody and I know that  I have duties to report anyone that offers bride but I did not report because I was under serious pressure from my partners to pay them.
“I was paid the money in December 2018, and upon receiving the money, my partners stopped putting pressure on me.
“Although between 2018 and 2024, when the pressure had gone, I did not report the issue of bribe to EFCC and my primary reason for being here is not for the recovery of my money.”
The witness further informed the court that his partners were not stakeholders in his company but were Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).
He also confirmed he did not write in his extra judicial statement that his partners pressurised him but he said it in his evidence in chief.
While still being cross examined by Ojo, first defendant counsel asked Onyejiuwa if he ever had direct interface with the embattled former CBN Governor or give him money, he said “No” in affirmative,
 “l have no dealing with him,” he stressed.
Speaking further, Ojo asked, “Did you indicate in your statement that you attempted to find out from the former Governor of CBN whether the former IT Director, Ayoh had the authority to demand for money, the witness said no.

Having stated in his statement that Ayoh had asserted pressure on him to release money, the witness insisted that all his transactions were carried out between him and Ayoh.

The witness said throughout his dealings with the CBN, he only interacted with Ayoh and after Ayoh left in 2019, the Governor was still in the office he executed contracts without giving out bribes.

The case was adjourned to July 9 and 10, 2024.