Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court has admitted additional documents and digital evidence against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) former governor, Godwin Emefiele, in a suit alleging that $4.5 billion fraud was perpetrated under his watch at the apex bank.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on gratification and corrupt demands preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). His co-defendant, Henry Omoile, is facing a three-count charge bordering on unlawful acceptance of gifts by an agent.
The development took place on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, when Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted WhatsApp conversations marked as Exhibit G and several mobile phones tendered by the EFCC as part of the prosecution’s evidence.
During the proceedings, the court overruled objections by the defence, which had challenged the authenticity and certification of the materials, and allowed them to be admitted as exhibits.
An EFCC witness, Alvan Gurumnaan, continued his testimony, narrating how a suspect, John Adetola, allegedly received instructions from Omoile to deliver $400,000 to “his oga,” referring to Emefiele, through a personal assistant. Gurumnaan said the delivery took place in Lekki and later at the CBN office in Lagos, adding that another $200,000 was similarly handed over.
A CBN contractor, Victor Oyedua, reportedly confirmed to investigators that he delivered both cash sums to the CBN governor’s assistant to facilitate payments for pending CBN contracts. The prosecution also tendered original documents from the apex bank, including a letter dated February 24, 2024, as part of its evidence.
Additional statements made by the defendants during the investigation were also presented, though the defence objected, claiming that some were made under duress.
Justice Oshodi thereafter ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements allegedly made by Omoile.
The case was adjourned to November 21, 2025, for both parties to agree on the forensic examination of the digital evidence, and to December 2 and 3, 2025, for continuation of the mini trial.
