The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, on allegations of a $4.5 billion fraud, resumed on Tuesday.
The trial resumed with a prosecution witness stating that Omoile’s statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was made voluntarily.
Emefiele faces a 19-count charge bordering on receiving gratification and making corrupt demands, while Omoile faces a three-count charge of unlawful acceptance of gifts as an agent.
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Both men have pleaded not guilty.
At the resumed sitting, an EFCC operative, Alvan Gurumnaan, testified during a trial-within-trial ordered by Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
The trial-within-trial was necessitated by the defence counsel’s objection on October 9, 2025, to the admissibility of Omoile’s extra-judicial statements, arguing they were not voluntary.
Gurumnaan stated that EFCC operatives are trained professionals who do not extract statements through threat, violence, or intimidation.
“The second defendant did not make any statement under duress. Our officers do not force statements through violence. It is the responsibility of the defendant to prove duress where such an allegation is made”, he told the court.
The witness detailed that Omoile made the statements in the EFCC’s conference room, an open and spacious area used by the Special Operations Team at the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 in Ikoyi.
He testified that Omoile appeared at the EFCC office on February 26, 2024, with the acting Managing Director of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and his lawyer, E. N. Offiong.
Gurumnaan maintained that Omoile’s lawyer, Offiong, was present on both February 26 and February 27, 2024, when the statements were taken.
He affirmed that standard practice, including the administration of cautionary words by a team member, Azeez Ajigbotosho, was followed.
The witness also noted that Omoile’s statement included the notation, “I am making this statement in the presence of my lawyer, Offiong.”
The court subsequently admitted four statements—three from February 26, 2024, and one from February 27, 2024, as exhibits during the trial-within-trial.
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Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo and Kotoye Adeyinka, Gurumnaan admitted that there was no video recording of the defendant’s statement, explaining that “certain circumstances sometimes make video recordings impossible.”
The case was adjourned until January 15 and January 16, 2026, for the continuation of the trial-within-trial.
