A former Secretary to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr John Ogah, continued his testimony on Wednesday before a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, where he disclosed that his former boss, Godwin Emefiele, had listed his niece as one of the beneficiaries of funds from an account allegedly operated on his behalf.
Ogah, serving as the 6th prosecution witness, made this disclosure while responding to questions from the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rotimi Oyedepo.
Ogah informed the court that he was aware the former CBN Governor had once instructed the 5th prosecution witness, a Zenith Bank account officer named Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, to transfer funds to his niece, identified as Hannah.
Emefiele’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Olalekan Ojo, objected to this line of questioning, arguing that the mention of Hannah was irrelevant to the charges, as her name did not appear in the indictment. He contended that it was an attempt to sensationalise the case.
However, the EFCC counsel countered the objection, maintaining that the testimony was pertinent to the charge of abuse of office and of conferring corrupt advantage upon Emefiele’s associates and immediate family, including his wife, Margaret.
Through the witness, the EFCC also presented as evidence several email communications sent by Ogah to the account officer of three companies—Comec Support Services Ltd, Limelight Multidimensional Services Ltd, and Andswin Resources Limited—at Zenith Bank, instructing the transfer of funds to designated beneficiaries.
The EFCC has alleged that these companies were used to launder funds for the former CBN Governor.
Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case to 28th November 2024 for the continuation of the trial.