By Huldah Shado
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court has ordered a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statement made by Henry Omoile, co-defendant of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Governor Godwin Emefiele, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was voluntary.
Emefiele and Omoile are facing a 19-count charge bordering on abuse of office, corruption, gratification, and fraudulent property transactions involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
At Thursday’s sitting, the court admitted several documents, including those retrieved from the mobile phone of John Adetola, Emefiele’s former executive assistant.
EFCC operative Alvan Gurumnaan testified that investigators traced $600,000 allegedly received by Emefiele directly and through intermediaries.
The prosecution also tendered contract documents from CBN contractor Victor Onyedua, who reportedly confessed to paying kickbacks for contract approvals.
Defence counsels Olalekan Ojo (SAN), and Rasheed Gbadamosi (SAN), objected, arguing the documents required certification. However, Justice Oshodi ruled them admissible, noting they were original correspondences.
The judge also admitted Adetola’s phone as an exhibit and allowed the defence to inspect it later.
The matter was adjourned to December 2 and 3 for the trial-within-trial, while parties are to return on November 21 to report on arrangements for forensic examination of the phone and WhatsApp evidence.
