A witness, John Adetola, has testified that he collected $400,000 on behalf of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in 2018.
Adetola, who identified himself as an Executive Assistant to Emefiele, explained that his duties included managing office correspondences, attending to visitors, and performing other tasks assigned by his boss. These responsibilities, he said, gave him direct access to Emefiele.
According to Adetola, he received a WhatsApp message from Eric Odoh, the personal assistant to the CBN Governor in Abuja, instructing him to collect $400,000 from John Ayoh, the former director of the ICT Department. Adetola claimed that he delivered the money to Emefiele in Lagos.
The witness also revealed that he had previously worked with Emefiele at Zenith Bank, where Emefiele served as Managing Director before joining the CBN. Adetola stated that he joined the CBN in June 2014.
When questioned about his communication with Emefiele, Adetola mentioned that they communicated through telephone, office line, email, and verbal communication. He also identified some of Emefiele’s family members, including his brothers, George and Okanta, and his wife, Margaret Emefiele.
The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Oyedepo, presented documents showing Adetola’s communication with John Ayoh and Eric Odoh, which were printed from Adetola’s phone. The documents were admitted as evidence, with Justice Oshodi marking them for “purpose of identification.”
The case has been adjourned until December 10 for the cross-examination of the witness.
