Court Schedules Dec. 10 for Cross-examination of EFCC’s 7th Witness in Emefiele’s Trial

Wale Igbintade

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court, yesterday, adjourned the trial of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to December 10, 2024, for the cross-examination of the seventh prosecution witness, John Adetola.

Adetola, who served as Executive Assistant to Emefiele, testified that he was invited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) office, where he voluntarily made a statement following an interview with the commission.

Led in evidence by EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Adetola confirmed that he knew Emefiele from his time as Managing Director of Zenith Bank before Emefiele’s appointment as CBN governor.

When asked about his means of communication with Emefiele, the witness responded, “I communicate with the former CBN Governor through telephone, office line, email, and verbal communication.”

Adetola informed the court that he was summoned from his new posting in Ekiti. He further explained that as Executive Assistant to the former CBN governor, he managed office correspondence, attended to visitors, and carried out other tasks assigned to him.

“I joined the CBN in June 2014, but before that, I worked with Veritas Registrars, formerly Zenith Registrars, from 2007,” he said.

In his testimony, Adetola recounted an event from 2018 when Eric Odoh sent him a message via WhatsApp, instructing him to collect $400,000 from John Ayo and deliver it to Emefiele in Lagos.

“I went to John Ayo’s house in Lekki, Lagos, where he handed me an envelope. I then returned to the office and gave it to the former CBN governor,” he stated.

When asked about Emefiele’s family members, Adetola named Mr. George, Mr. Okanta (Emefiele’s brothers), Mrs. Margaret Emefiele (his wife), and Henry Omoile (the second defendant).

The witness also described his invitation to EFCC in February 2023, where he was interviewed and made voluntary statements about his involvement with Emefiele.

When asked if he had any interactions with John Ayo during his time at the CBN, Adetola confirmed, “Yes, we worked together. John Ayo was the former Director of the ICT.”

Counsel for the first defendant, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), however, objected to their admissibility.

Ojo argued, “I object to the documents on the grounds of non-substantial compliance with Section 84 of the Evidence Act. They have only been tendered for identification. There is no provision in the Evidence Act that allows documents to be tendered solely for identification.”

Ojo also pointed out that the document bore a name, “Idi Musa,” which was not the witness, raising concerns about its authenticity.

Counsel for the second defendant, Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN), also opposed the admissibility of the documents, stating that the prosecuting counsel had failed to provide a legal reference for their submission.

Both Ojo and Kotoye maintained their objections, citing Section 84 of the Evidence Act.

In a bench ruling, Oshodi admitted the documents for identification purposes and adjourned the case until December 10 for continuation of trial.