Emefiele Trial: Witness Reveals No Direct Contact on 753 Abuja Properties

During the ongoing trial of Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, a key prosecution witness on Monday conceded that he had no face-to-face interactions with the erstwhile apex bank head. The trial concerns the alleged unlawful acquisition of a 753-unit housing estate located in Abuja.

Richard Agulu, formerly an employee with Zenith Bank and currently with the Nigerian Communications Commission, made this crucial admission under cross-examination. Emefiele's legal counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), questioned Agulu before Justice Yusuf Halilu at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja.

Agulu informed the court that while he had previously testified about disbursing over N1.6 billion linked to Emefiele, he never received these funds directly from the former CBN governor nor did he personally witness Emefiele handing over any money. He clarified, "From the evidence I provided, I said I received the funds through his personal assistant (Eric Ocheme). 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 further acknowledged that he did not possess Emefiele's phone number and never engaged in direct conversations with him. He stated that any communication attributed to the former CBN governor was relayed through his former aide, Eric Ocheme. Agulu added, "I acted based on the defendant’s voice on the phone."

However, when pressed on whether his extra-judicial statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) explicitly mentioned receiving instructions via telephone conversations, Agulu's memory seemed to falter. He responded, "What I can remember in my statement is that I got my instructions from the defendant through Mr Ocheme. I cannot remember whether it was through the phone or not."

Following this, the defence attempted to introduce the witness's statement to the EFCC to refresh his recollection. This move led to a heated debate between the defence team and the prosecution, headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), concerning the document's admissibility. After initial objections, the prosecution eventually withdrew its opposition, allowing the court to accept the statement as evidence.

In a previous court session held in January, Agulu had testified that he facilitated the disbursement of more than N1.6 billion based on Emefiele's directives, which were conveyed via Ocheme. He informed the court that during his tenure as a Zenith Bank official, he received cash from Ocheme and made various deposits into accounts associated with Ifeabigo Integrated Services, subsequently transferring approximately N1.6 billion to MG Properties Limited between 2020 and 2022. The witness consistently maintained that these financial operations were executed under Emefiele's instructions, communicated through Ocheme.

The EFCC is currently prosecuting Emefiele on an eight-count charge. These charges primarily revolve around the alleged unlawful acquisition of the 753-unit housing estate in Abuja and the purported concealment of billions of naira through proxy accounts during his time as the CBN governor. The anti-graft agency claims that Emefiele, along with Ocheme (who is reportedly at large), utilized shell companies and proxy accounts to acquire the estate and store illicit funds. Emefiele has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.