Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Wednesday adjourned the corruption trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to November 28.
The adjournment followed the testimony of the sixth prosecution witness, John Ogah, who concluded his statements after detailing various email exchanges involving financial transactions linked to Emefiele.
Emefiele, arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), faces a 26-count charge that includes allegations of accepting gratification, receiving gifts through agents, abuse of office, and improper property acquisition during his tenure as CBN governor.
He is being tried alongside Herry Omoile, who was also implicated in the charges filed by EFCC Prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) in early April.
Ogah, who served as Emefiele’s secretary at both Zenith Bank and the CBN, testified that he managed email communications between Emefiele and an account officer at Zenith Bank regarding fund transfers to various beneficiaries.
“I have the instructions of my boss (Emefiele) to send the emails to the account officer, and all the instructions he gave were carried out,” Ogah stated.
During his testimony, Ogah presented several email messages sent to Zenith Bank’s account officer for companies including Comec, Limelight, and Amswin Resources Limited, directing transfers to specific beneficiaries.
He further disclosed that Emefiele once instructed the account officer, Mrs. Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, to transfer funds to his niece, Hannah Emefiele.
Ogah testified, “In one of the emails, he instructed Ogbonnaya to pay into the account of Hannah Emefiele while I was still working with him.”
Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), raised an objection regarding this claim, arguing that Hannah Emefiele’s name was not mentioned in the original charges.
In response, EFCC counsel Oyedepo clarified, “The name came up because some of the proceeds that went into this account are traceable to relatives of the first defendant.” Justice Oshodi overruled the objection, allowing the witness to proceed.
Ogah also confirmed that Ogbonnaya managed accounts for the companies Limelight, Comec, and Answin Resources Ltd., which Emefiele allegedly owned.
He described various instructions he received from Emefiele, directing him to communicate with Ogbonnaya regarding financial transactions for these companies.
Under cross-examination, Ogah explained that while he maintained records of these directives for reference, no written documentation existed directly between him and Emefiele for 99 percent of the instructions, as most were verbally communicated.
The court will reconvene on November 28 to continue proceedings in the case.
