A Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) employee, Monday Osazuwa, told the Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday how the apex bank’s former governor, Godwin Emefiele, on different occasions, directed him to collect $3 million cash in tranches.
Mr Osasuwa, while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said he was a dispatch rider at Zenith Bank in 2001 before he joined the CBN as a senior supervisor in 2014.
He said Mr Emefiele was the managing director of Zenith Bank Plc while he was working as a dispatch rider in the bank. The witness said he was later appointed as a senior supervisor (full-time) in the recording and filing of documents while working in the CBN governor’s office in Lagos.
“I recall that in 2020, when he was outside Lagos, he called me and said 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.
Mr Osazuwa added that Mr Emefiele sent him to MINL Ltd. when he was with Zenith Bank.
“This company is situated in 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 Dumies Oil and Gas,” the witness said.
According to him, Mr 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 receive the montey and take it to my boss’ residence at Iru Close, Ikoyi. 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 $1 million 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 defence counsel, Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, the witness confirmed to the court that he had been working with the defendant since 2002.
According to the witness, Mr Emefiele passed instructions to him through the second defendant and said that he had been collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas.
He, however, told the court when he was made to confront the second defendant during the investigation, but he failed to admit it.
“I started collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas when I was at 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.
On April 8, the EFCC arraigned Mr Emefiele on 23 counts bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratifications, corrupt demand, receiving property fraudulently obtained, and conferring corrupt advantage.
Mr Emefiele’s co-defendant was arraigned on three counts bordering on acceptance of gifts by agents. The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Earlier, Mr Oshodi had declined the oral application for adjournment moved twice by the defence counsel.
The judge adjourned the case until April 29 for trial and a hearing of the application for closed-session.
(NAN)
