The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has adjourned until Wednesday, February 26, to decide whether to continue hearing the corruption case against former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele.
The decision follows a request from Emefiele’s lead counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Olalekan Ojo, who asked the court to recuse itself from the trial, citing alleged bias.
A similar request was made by another SAN, Kazeem Gbadamosi, who represents Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Omoile. Both legal representatives argued that the court’s conduct thus far has compromised their ability to receive a fair trial.
Emefiele faces a 19-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accuses him of receiving bribes and engaging in corrupt practices. Omoile, his co-defendant, is charged with accepting unlawful gifts as an agent.
The proceedings on Monday saw EFCC Lead Counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, conclude the evidence-in-chief of a key witness, Adetola John, a former personal assistant to the former CBN governor.
Oyedepo reminded John of his prior testimony in November 2024, where he stated that he had received $400,000 in cash from John Ayoh, the former director of the CBN’s ICT department, and subsequently delivered the money to Emefiele’s office.
In his testimony, John also described his role in managing office correspondence and visitors for Emefiele in Lagos, while another assistant, Eric Odoh, handled similar duties at the CBN’s Abuja office.
During the session, Oyedepo sought to have John confirm a WhatsApp message printed from Odoh’s phone by EFCC investigators. However, the defense objected, arguing that the document was only for identification and had not been formally admitted as evidence in the case. They also claimed the witness could not properly speak to the document’s contents.
Despite the objections, Justice Rahman Oshodi overruled the defense, permitting the witness to read from the document, citing Section 224 of the Evidence Act, which allows leading questions regarding undisputed matters.
This ruling led to further dissatisfaction from the defense, with Ojo and Gbadamosi filing an oral application for the judge to recuse himself from the case, arguing that the decision had prematurely concluded the matter of the $400,000 delivery. They contended that this would hinder their ability to cross-examine the witness fairly.
In response, EFCC counsel Oyedepo rejected the defense’s claims, accusing them of attempting to delay the trial.
He pointed out that the court had ruled against the prosecution in previous instances, and that any dissatisfaction with the ruling could be addressed through an appeal, rather than seeking the recusal of the judge. Oyedepo argued that the defense’s application was an attempt to stall the proceedings.
Justice Oshodi ultimately adjourned the matter until February 26, 2025, to deliver a ruling on the recusal request.
Earlier in the proceedings, Emefiele’s legal team also submitted an application seeking permission for their client to appeal certain decisions made during the trial.
