A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Monday told the FCT High Court in Abuja that he did not directly receive funds from the former apex bank chief.
The witness, Richard Agulu, a former Zenith Bank official and now a staff member of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said the money was received through Mr Emefiele’s personal assistant, Eric Ocheme.
“From the evidence I provided, I said I received the funds through his personal assistant (Eric Ocheme),” Mr Agulu stated during cross-examination by defence counsel, Matthew Bukar (SAN).
Phone Instructions
Mr Agulu explained that he never had direct contact with Mr Emefiele and did not possess his phone number. According to him, instructions were conveyed via Mr Ocheme, sometimes through phone conversations where he claimed to recognise Mr Emefiele’s voice.
“I have not seen the first defendant giving money to Mr Ocheme, but he gives instructions through his phone to carry out transactions,” the witness said.
However, when confronted with his earlier statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Agulu admitted he could not recall explicitly stating that the instructions were given via phone.
After arguments between counsel, the court admitted his extrajudicial statement as Exhibit G. The matter was adjourned until April 22 for continuation of cross-examination.
EFCC’s Allegations
The EFCC has accused Mr Emefiele of warehousing billions of naira in proxy accounts and unlawfully acquiring an Abuja estate comprising 753 housing units while serving as CBN governor. The anti-graft agency has already secured a final forfeiture order for the estate in a separate proceeding.
According to the prosecution, Mr Emefiele allegedly retained N167 million in a proxy account in 2019 and kept over N4 billion in Kelvito Integrated Services’ account. An additional N1.98 billion was allegedly deposited into the same account in 2022.
The EFCC further alleged that more than N1.5 billion was kept in Ifeadigo Integrated Services’ account. Prosecutors maintain that the funds were unlawfully obtained.
Transaction Authentication
During proceedings, the witness said the owners of Kelvito Integrated Services (Chukwuma Okpala) and Ifeadigo Integrated Services (Peter Adebayo) authenticated the transactions referenced in his earlier testimony.
He stated that the transactions were executed through banking instruments, including cheques, and that deposit slips carried the names of the respective account holders.
Under cross-examination, Mr Agulu acknowledged that neither Mr Emefiele nor Mr Ocheme was an account holder in the referenced accounts. He also admitted having a personal relationship with Mr Adebayo, describing him as a friend.
He further noted that, under Zenith Bank’s operational guidelines and CBN regulations, staff are required to act only on instructions from account holders through formal communication, cheques, or in-person authorisation.
Defence Objections
During the hearing, the defence attempted to tender additional documents, including a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) status report and Zenith Bank’s operational policy summaries.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, raised objections on grounds including non-certification and non-compliance with provisions of the Evidence Act. The trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, admitted some documents while reserving rulings on others.
The case continues as the court examines whether the transactions were legitimately authorised or formed part of the alleged unlawful financial arrangements.
