During the trial against Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), witness Victor Onyejiuwa, Managing Director of The Source Computers Limited, accused CBN management of demanding a $600,000 bribe linked to a contract payment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has submitted new evidence against Emefiele, introduced through Zenith Bank compliance officer Clement Ngolu, by EFCC counsel Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN). The court admitted these documents, which included bank account details of Limelight Multidimensional Services Ltd., without defense objections.
Ngolu testified that his department, which collaborates with various regulatory and law enforcement agencies, provided requested account statements to the EFCC. He assured that the bank’s systems were functioning correctly at the time the statements were generated.
The fourth prosecution witness, an IT contractor, also testified, claiming he was coerced by CBN management to pay $600,000 to secure the payment of an executed contract. He stated that his company had been awarded multiple contracts, including one in 2017 for “enterprise storage and servers.”
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John Ikechukwu Ayoh, a former CBN director, in his testimony today, allegedly articulated the management’s demand for a share of the contract, implying a threat to redirect the allocated funds if the bribe were not paid.
The court also heard the testimony of John Ayoh, who previously claimed he collected $600,000 on behalf of Emefiele, and expressed his dissatisfaction with being out of favor with the former governor.
Emefiele faces charges of office abuse, accepting bribes, and other corrupt practices, while his co-defendant is charged with accepting gifts as an agent. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
The case has been adjourned until May 17 for further proceedings.
