
Former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
A WhatsApp conversation allegedly linking former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to a $4.5 billion fraud scheme has been admitted as evidence by an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
Despite objections from the defence team, Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted the chat logs—presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)—as Exhibit G. Several mobile phones and additional documents were also accepted into evidence as the trial continues to unfold.
Emefiele is currently facing a 19-count charge, which includes accusations of gratification and corrupt practices. His co-defendant, Mr. Henry Omoile, is facing three counts related to the unlawful acceptance of gifts. The charges collectively involve suspicious transactions totaling $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
The EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), resumed examination of EFCC operative Mr. Alvan Grumnaan, who provided fresh revelations from the ongoing investigation.
Grumnaan read out a WhatsApp conversation in court, in which Omoile instructed John Adetola to deliver “$400,000 to oga”—a reference allegedly pointing to Emefiele.
“During our investigation, we sought clarification from Adetola. He explained there was a chat between him and Omoile, directing him to meet one Ikechukwu-Ayoh to hand over $400,000 on behalf of Emefiele,” Grumnaan testified.
According to him, Adetola confirmed he went to Lekki, Lagos, where he met with Ikechukwu-Ayoh, reportedly a personal aide to the former CBN chief, and delivered the money. He later proceeded to the CBN office in Lagos to give the funds directly to Emefiele.
The EFCC operative also testified that Ikechukwu-Ayoh confirmed receiving Adetola at his residence and that he forwarded the money to Emefiele. In a separate incident, he allegedly handed over an additional $200,000 from the same source.
Grumnaan said a CBN contractor, Mr. Victor Oyedua, admitted during questioning that he gave Ikechukwu-Ayoh both sums—$400,000 and $200,000—to facilitate payment for two pending contracts with the apex bank.
“He told us he had two jobs awaiting clearance from the CBN and was advised to ‘settle management’ to expedite payment. His statement was recorded,” Grumnaan told the court.
More evidence, including documents received by the EFCC from a company on February 24, 2024, was also presented and marked as Exhibit H. Despite efforts by the defence—led by Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN)—to challenge the authenticity and certification of the materials, the court admitted them.
A Xiaomi MI10T phone belonging to Adetola, which was submitted while still on flight mode, was marked as Exhibit I. The WhatsApp chats extracted from the device formed a core part of the prosecution’s case.
Further into the session, the prosecution attempted to tender statements made by the second defendant, but the defence objected, alleging they were made under duress.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter until November 21 for updates on forensic inspection agreements, and December 2 for a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the disputed statements.
NAN