The 7th Prosecution witness, John Adetola, who is testifying in the case against the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja how he collected the sum of $400,000 on behalf of Godwin Emefiele.
Adetola, who identified himself as an Executive Assistant to Emefiele, explained that his role involved managing office correspondences, attending to visitors, and carrying out other tasks as assigned by Emefiele. This position gave him direct access to the former CBN Governor.
Adetola recounted that he was summoned from his new posting in Ekiti to pick up the $400,000 and later handed it over to Emefiele. He also informed the court that he disclosed this information to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during his interrogation about the funds.
Before joining the CBN in June 2014, Adetola had worked at Veritas Registrars, previously known as Zenith Registrars, since 2007. When asked about his communication with Emefiele, he stated that they communicated through telephone, office line, email, and verbal interactions. Adetola also identified several members of Emefiele’s family, including his brothers George and Okanta, his wife Margaret Emefiele, and the second defendant, Henry Omoile, who had lived in Emefiele’s house in Lagos.
The witness further explained how he was invited by the EFCC in February 2023, where he voluntarily made statements regarding his involvement with the funds. During the EFCC’s investigation, his phone was accessed, revealing office documents, which were subsequently printed by the EFCC. Adetola confirmed that these documents, showing his communications with John Ayoh and Odoh, were printed from his phone, and he endorsed them.
EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, requested the court’s permission to tender the documents, which was met with objections from Emefiele’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Olaleko Ojo, regarding their admissibility. However, Ojo withdrew his objection when Oyedepo clarified that the documents were only for identification purposes. Counsel for Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Omoile, SAN Adeyinka Kotoye, maintained his objection, arguing that the documents had no legal basis. He contended that a document not formally tendered as an exhibit should not be admitted.
Despite the objections, Oyedepo insisted that the documents were relevant and necessary for proving the elements of the offence. After considering all arguments, Justice Rahman Oshodi allowed the documents to be admitted for identification purposes. The court then adjourned the case until December 10 for the cross-examination of the witness.
