Alleged Abuse Of Office: Emefiele Asked Me To Collect $3m Cash In Tranches, CBN Employee Informs Judge

A witness brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), Monday Osazuwa, on Friday, April 12, 2024, informed Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, that the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on different occasions, directed him to collect $3m cash in tranches.

Osazuwa, who is also an employee of the CBN, while being led in evidence by the counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), confirmed to Justice Oshodi that he was a dispatch rider in Zenith Bank in 2001 before he joined the CBN in 2014, adding that he joined the apex bank as a senior supervisor in 2014.

According to Osazuwa, “I recall that in 2020, when he (Emefiele) was outside Lagos, he called me and said that he would give me a number that a man had something I should collect from him and that the man would give me the number of another person.

“When I got to the man’s office, I was given an envelope. I counted the money and the man said I should give it to my boss.”

The witness equally informed Justice Oshodi that the 1st defendant (Emefiele) used to collect money by himself anytime he was in Lagos, but anytime the former CBN helmsman was not around, he would instruct him to give the money to the second defendant (Henry Isioma-Omoile).

In adding that the former CBN governor had sent him to MINL Limited when he was with Zenith Bank, Osazuwa posited, “This company is situated at Isolo. The first defendant did send me to collect cheques from the company from Mr Monday and when I collected the cheque from Mr Monday, I would give it back to Emefiele, and he would lodge the money into Dumies Oil and Gas.

“Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile, lived in the residence of the former CBN governor.

“Whenever I collect money for the former CBN governor, I would take it to his residence at Iru Close, Ikoyi.

“Whenever I received the amount and took it to the residence of my boss, Mr Emefiele would ask me to give it to the second defendant (Isioma-Omoile) whenever he was not at home.

“I did not keep a record of transactions because the instruction he gave me was that I should collect the money and bring the same to his house.

“The highest amount I collected was one million dollars all in cash and some weeks later, the businessman also called me to collect $850,000, $750,000 and $400,000 cash in tranches.

“I have never been rewarded, paid or given anything because I am doing it out of faithfulness, and he knows it, but he has never for once, said ‘take this’.”

Under cross-examination by the lawyer for the defence, Mr Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, the CBN's staff revealed that the former CBN governor passed instructions to him through the second defendant (Isioma-Omoile) and that he had been collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas.

In his words: “I was made to confront the second defendant during the investigation, but he failed to admit it.

“I started collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas when I was in Zenith Bank.

“I cannot calculate the exact year I have been collecting the cheques, but it all started when the first defendant (Emefiele) was the Managing Director at Zenith Bank, and I was working at Zenith Bank.”

It would be recalled that the EFCC had on April 8, 2024, arraigned Emefiele on 23 counts bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratifications, corrupt demand, receiving property fraudulently obtained and conferring corrupt advantage, while his co-defendant was arraigned on three counts bordering on acceptance of gift by agents.

But Emefiele and Isioma-Omoile had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned until April 29 for the continuation of trial and hearing of the application for a closed session.

All rights reserved. This material and other digital content on this website may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole or in part without the prior express written permission of THE NEWS ACCELERATOR NETWORK. 

For advertising inquiries, please contact thenewsacceleratornetwork@gmail.com or 08033599492. For news coverage or press releases, call 08022717838.