A prosecution witness, Monday Osazuwa, testified yesterday in a Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja that he did not maintain any records of the money he allegedly received as a bribe on behalf of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who is on trial alongside Henry Omoile for alleged abuse of office and money laundering.
Osazuwa, a dispatch rider, had previously stated in his testimony on April 12, 2024, that he collected over $3 million in bribe money in various installments for Emefiele.
When questioned by Emefiele’s attorney, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, after being recalled for further examination, Osazuwa revealed that he had no records of the alleged bribe money, explaining that Emefiele had instructed him not to keep any evidence of such transactions.
When asked if he had provided the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with any written instructions from Emefiele during his statement, he responded that he mentioned it in his statement. He was also asked if he had supplied any documents to the EFCC showing the amounts he collected for Emefiele, to which he replied, “No documents were produced. The instructions from the first defendant were that I should not write anything down.”
Osazuwa further stated that he did not possess any document from either defendant acknowledging the receipt of money from him. When questioned about the importance of keeping records of financial transactions, he acknowledged it was for record-keeping and future reference but reiterated that he had not maintained any records. “I did not produce any record; I followed the instructions based on the money I collected for him,” he stated.
The defense counsel then requested that the witness be given the extrajudicial statements he made on February 13, 15, and 23, 2024, before the EFCC to refresh his memory. After reviewing the statements, Osazuwa confirmed, “I did not state it in my statement, but he instructed me not to record it.
He told me that whenever he was not around, I should just go straight and give it to the second defendant.” When asked how long he was detained in EFCC custody, he said he was held for one week before being granted bail. Osazuwa mentioned that there were no witnesses when he handed over the money to Emefiele.
During cross-examination by the second defense counsel, Adeyinka Kotoye, SAN, the witness was asked to clarify a point in his testimony regarding counting the money in the envelope for Emefiele. He replied, “It was Mr. Raja who counted the money.”
Earlier, the fifth prosecution witness, Mrs. Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, a business relationship manager at Zenith Bank Plc, concluded her testimony by stating that she submitted the account statements of Comec, Limelight, and Amswin Resources Limited, addressed to Mrs. Margaret Emefiele (Emefiele’s wife), to the regulators.
She also noted that none of the documents provided as Zenith Bank’s representative connected Emefiele to any wrongdoing. Additionally, Ogbonnaya testified that she had no dealings with the second defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile.
At the end of her testimony, Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case until tomorrow for the continuation of the trial.
, Godwin Emefiele, who is on trial alongside Henry Omoile for alleged abuse of office and money laundering.){kind=link}