The counsel to Henry Omoile, a co-defendant of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nnamdi Offia, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) demanded that his client supply incriminating information against Emefiele.
Offia made the allegation on Thursday while testifying as a defence witness before the special offences court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, during the trial-within-trial involving Omoile.
BACKGROUND
Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge related to allegations of receiving gratification and making corrupt demands while serving as CBN governor.
Omoile, on his part, is being prosecuted on three counts bordering on the unlawful acceptance of gifts by a public officer.
Earlier in the proceedings, a prosecution witness told the court that he regularly collected cash in dollars from certain individuals on behalf of Emefiele and delivered the funds to Omoile on the instruction of the former CBN governor.
At the hearing held on October 9, 2025, Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, applied to tender Omoile’s extra-judicial statements as evidence.
However, Kotoye Adeyinka, Omoile’s lawyer, objected, arguing that the statements were not made voluntarily.
Following the objection, the trial judge, Ramon Oshodi, ordered a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were obtained under duress.
In December 2025, an EFCC operative, Alvan Gurumnaan, testified that the commission did not force Omoile to make any statement.
PROCEEDINGS
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Offia told the court that EFCC investigators restricted Omoile during interrogation on February 26, 2024, and prevented him from freely expressing himself in response to questions.
He said he was absent when his client was interrogated the following day.
Offia added that when he raised concerns about the interrogation process, he was confronted by an EFCC officer identified as David.
The lawyer alleged that EFCC officials promised Omoile bail and immunity from prosecution if he agreed to provide incriminating evidence against Emefiele.
“On several occasions, questions were put to the second defendant (Omoile), and he answered, but he was not allowed to write them down because the answer did not conform to what the interrogators wanted him to say. I objected to this many times,” he said.
“The sessions of 26 February 2024 ended with the investigative officers telling me they would be detaining him because they were not done with him.
“On February 27, 2024, I met the second defendant while being interrogated by the team, and I questioned why the interrogation was being conducted behind me.
“One David challenged me, asking what right I had to question the manner in which the questions were being taken from the defendant. Tempers rose, and David walked me out of the premises.
“I was shocked and reported the incident to the team leader, who asked me not to worry and advised me to remain in the waiting area.
“I was denied access to my client until about 8pm, when he was returned to the detention facility.
“I was later informed that he had refused to cooperate and would not be released. At that point, I applied for bail on his behalf to the EFCC zonal head.
“The defendant was held for 21 days. I subsequently filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the federal high court in Lagos, where Justice Muslims Hamza granted him bail but ordered that he be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of bail conditions.”
During cross-examination by Oyedepo, Offia admitted that he neither filed a formal complaint nor submitted a petition over the alleged conduct of the investigators.
He also told the court that the judge who heard the fundamental rights case did not indict the EFCC for misconduct and that his client was not harassed in his presence.
The matter was adjourned until January 16 for continuation of hearing.