The third prosecution witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over the alleged unlawful acquisition of a 753-unit housing estate in Abuja, on Monday admitted that he never dealt directly with the former apex bank chief.
The witness, Richard Agulu, a former Zenith Bank employee now working with the Nigerian Communications Commission, made the admission during cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
Agulu told the court that although he had earlier testified to disbursing more than N1.6 billion in transactions allegedly linked to Emefiele, he neither received the funds directly from the former CBN governor nor witnessed him hand over any money.
“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 said.
Agulu also admitted that he neither had Emefiele’s telephone number nor communicated with him directly, explaining that all instructions allegedly from the former CBN governor came through his former aide, Eric Ocheme.
“I acted based on the defendant’s voice on the phone,” he added.
However, when asked whether his extra-judicial statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission specifically stated that the instructions were received through telephone conversations, the witness said he could not recall.
“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,” he told the court.
Following the response, the defence sought to tender the witness’s statement to the EFCC to refresh his memory.
The move prompted arguments between the defence and the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), over the admissibility of the document. The prosecution later withdrew its objection, allowing the court to admit the statement in evidence.
At an earlier hearing in January, Agulu testified that while serving as a Zenith Bank official, he disbursed more than N1.6 billion on Emefiele’s instructions allegedly conveyed through Ocheme.
He told the court that he received cash from Ocheme and paid various sums into accounts belonging to Ifeabigo Integrated Services before transferring about N1.6 billion to MG Properties Limited between 2020 and 2022.
According to the witness, the transactions were carried out based on instructions allegedly passed to him by Emefiele through Ocheme.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Emefiele on an eight-count charge bordering on the alleged unlawful acquisition of a 753-unit housing estate in Abuja and the concealment of billions of naira in proxy accounts while serving as CBN governor.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Emefiele and Ocheme, who is currently at large, used proxy companies and bank accounts to acquire the estate and conceal illicit funds. Emefiele has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
