During a hearing at the Ikeja Special Offences Court, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) employee, Mr Monday Osazuwa, admitted to receiving directives from the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, to collect three million dollars in cash on several occasions.
Mr Osazuwa stated that he worked as a dispatch rider at Zenith Bank in 2001 before he joined the CBN in 2014, where he served as a senior supervisor. Mr Emefiele was the Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc at the time that Mr Osazuwa worked as a dispatch rider there. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), led Mr Osazuwa through his evidence.
The witness said he knew Emefiele, who was his boss, while in Zenith Bank and that he later joined him at the CBN.
The witness said he was later appointed as a senior supervisor (full-time) in recording and filing documents while working in the CBN governor’s office in Lagos.
“I was still working in the CBN governor’s office when I was appointed as a full staff member and we usually communicated through WhatsApp and email.
“I function as a senior supervisor, recording, and filing with other official roles.
“I recall that in 2020 when he was outside Lagos, he called me that he would give me a number that a man had something I should collect from him and that the man would give me the number of another person.
“When I got to the man’s office, I was given an envelope. I counted the money and the man said I should give it to my boss,” he said.
The witness further told the court that the first defendant used to collect money by himself anytime he was in Lagos but anytime the defendant was not around, he would tell him to give the money to the second defendant.
Osazuwa added that Emefiele sent him to MINL Ltd. when he was with Zenith Bank.
“This company is situated at Isolo, the first defendant did send me to collect cheques from the company from Mr. Monday and when I collected the cheque from Mr. Monday, I would give it back to Emefiele and he would lodge the money into Dummies Oil and Gas.
According to him, Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile, lived in the residence of the former CBN governor.
He stated that when he collected money for his boss, he would take it to his residence at Iru Close, Ikoyi.
“Whenever I received the money and took it to my boss’s residence, Mr Emefiele would tell me to give it to the second defendant whenever he was not at home.
“I did not keep a record of transactions because the instruction he gave me was that I should collect the money and bring the money to his house.
“The highest amount I collected was one million dollars all in cash and some weeks later, the businessman also called me to collect $850,000, $750,000, and $400,000 cash in tranches.
“I have never been rewarded, paid, or given anything because I am doing it out of faithfulness and he knows it but he has never for once said, ‘take this’,” he said.
Under cross-examination by the defense counsel, Mr. Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, the witness confirmed to the court that he had been working with the defendant since 2002.
According to the witness, Emefiele passed instructions to him through the second defendant and that he had been collecting cheques for Dummies Oil and Gas.
He, however, told the court when he was made to confront the second defendant during the investigation but the second defendant failed to admit it.
“I started collecting cheques for Dummies Oil and Gas when I was in Zenith Bank.
“I cannot calculate the exact year I have been collecting the cheques but it all started when the first defendant was the Managing Director at Zenith Bank and I was working at Zenith Bank,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the EFCC on April 8 arraigned Emefiele on 23 counts bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratifications, corrupt demand, receiving property fraudulently obtained, and conferring corrupt advantage.
Emefiele’s co-defendant was arraigned on three counts bordering on acceptance of gift by agents.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Earlier, Oshodi had declined the oral application for adjournment moved twice by the defense counsel.
The judge adjourned the case until April 29 for trial and hearing of the application for a closed session.