Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court yesterday admitted digital evidence, including a WhatsApp conversation several mobile phones as exhibits in the trial of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who I standing trial for alleged $4.5 billion fraud and abuse of office.
The judge also overruled objections raised by the defence team and admitted the digital evidence presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The WhatsApp conversation was admitted and labelled as Exhibit “G,” while the phones were also entered into evidence.
The EFCC Counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo continued with the testimony of EFCC operative, Mr Alvan Grumnaan, who provided fresh insights into the evidence uncovered during the anti-graft agency’s investigations.
Grumnaan read the WhatsApp exchange in open court, detailing a conversation between persons identified as Omoike and John Adetola, instructing the latter to hand over $400,000 to ‘oga’ (Emefiele).
The witness explained that during interrogation, Adetola clarified the message, stating it was about meeting John Ikechukwu-Ayoh, Emefiele’s personal assistant (PA) at the time, to collect the money on the former CBN governor’s behalf.
“John Adetola confirmed that he went to Lekki in Lagos, where he met John Ikechukwu-Ayoh, personal assistant to the CBN governor, to deliver the money,” Grumnaan told the court.
He added that Adetola confirmed the money was $400,000 and proceeded to the CBN office in Lagos, where he handed it over to Emefiele.
The witness further stated that when Ikechukwu-Ayoh, who was then working at the CBN, was invited for an interview, he also confirmed that Adetola came to his house and gave him the money to deliver to Emefiele.
The testimony revealed that the alleged transactions involved more than just the $400,000.
Grumnaan informed the court that Ikechukwu-Ayoh received another $200,000 from the same person, which was also handed over to Emefiele in his Lagos office.
The source of the funds was identified as Mr. Victor Oyedua, a CBN contractor.
“We invited Mr. Victor Oyedua, the CBN contractor, who reported to our office and confirmed during the interview that he actually gave Ikechukwu-Ayoh the sum of $400,000 and $200,000 respectively to deliver to the first defendant,” the witness stated.
Oyedua, the contractor, confirmed that two of his contracts with the CBN were pending and he had not been paid.
According to the EFCC witness, Oyedua claimed he was told he needed to settle some management to facilitate his payment, which was the reason he handed over the $600,000. The contractor’s statement was subsequently recorded.
The prosecution further tendered original documents from a company to the EFCC, dated February 24, 2024, as evidence of information received during the investigation.
Despite objections from the defence counsel, led by Messrs Olalekan Ojo and Mr. Kazeem Gbadamosi, citing concerns over the authenticity and certification of the documents, the court admitted the bundle of documents as Exhibit H.
The defence also raised an objection to the admissibility of statements made by the second defendant, arguing they were made under duress.
To address this, the court adjourned the case until December 2 for a trial within a trial.
The judge also adjourned the matter until November 21 for a report on the agreement reached by the parties regarding a forensic inspection.