A prosecution witness, John Adetola, on Monday told the Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja that he did not document the delivery of $400,000 in cash to the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
Adetola, the seventh prosecution witness, who served as executive assistant to Emefiele, said he provided no call logs, messages, or receipt to support his claim during the investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are facing 19 counts bordering on alleged bribery and corrupt demands totalling $4.5bn and ₦2.8bn, brought by the EFCC.
Testifying before Justice Rahman Oshodi, Adetola said he acted on instructions from Eric Odoh, who allegedly asked him via WhatsApp in 2018 to collect the money from former CBN Director of Information Technology, Mr. John Ayoh, and handed it to Emefiele in Lagos.
In 2018, I can’t remember the date, Mr. Eric Odoh sent me a WhatsApp message that I should collect $400,000 from John Ayoh and give it to the former CBN Governor when he came to Lagos.
I went to Ayoh’s house in Lekki, collected an envelope, and gave it to the governor,” Adetola told the court.
When asked why he did not document the transaction or provide any proof, he said“I did not see any need for it.”
Under cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Adetola confirmed that he was not under prosecution and had not struck any immunity deal with the EFCC.
He also admitted that in his statement to the EFCC, he did not mention any communication with Emefiele about the $400,000.
I told the EFCC everything I knew in respect of the alleged financial crimes,” he said.
Adetola further revealed that he spent 11 days in EFCC custody, during which he was not brought face-to-face with either Emefiele or John Ayoh.
He acknowledged that the EFCC confronted him with WhatsApp printouts related to the alleged transaction, but he maintained that he had no evidence of contact with Emefiele about the money delivery.
He reiterated during re-examination by EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) that he saw no need to document the cash transaction.
“I did not see any need for it,” he restated.
Adetola, who holds a Higher National Diploma in Secretarial Studies and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, explained his duties as executive assistant.
“My direct boss is the 1st defendant. The 1st defendant is the head of the secretariat, and I report directly to him,” he said, referring to Emefiele.
During further cross-examination by Yinka Kotoye (SAN), counsel for the second defendant, Henry Omoile, Adetola admitted he had no dealings whatsoever with Omoile in connection to the cash delivery.
At the close of the testimony, Justice Oshodi discharged witnesses and adjourned the matter till today (Tuesday) for continuation of the trial.
