A Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Staff, Mr Monday Osazuwa last week Friday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how the Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on different occasions, directed him to collect the sum of $3 million cash in tranches.
The defendant when being led-in-evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), narrated to court how he served as a dispatch rider in Zenith Bank and later joined the CBN as well as run errands for the former CBN governor.
According to Osazuwa, he work with the Zenith Bank Plc as a dispatch rider in 2002 to 2014 before he started working with the CBN.
He said: “I joined the CBN in 2014 as a contract staff and became staff in 2015. I knew the first defendant since when he was a Deputy Director of Zenith Bank and he later became Director. I have been working with him since then.
He told the court how the former CBN governor, Emefiele on different occasions directed him to collect the sum of $3 million cash in tranches.
Osasuwa said that he later appointed as a senior supervisor (full time) in recording and filing of documents while working in the governor’s office in Lagos.
“I was still working in the governor’s office while I was appointed as a full staff and we usually communicate through WhatsApp and email. I perform as a senior supervisor, recording and filing with other official roles.”
He continued that sometimes in 2020, the first defendant sent him on errand.
“When he called me, he directed that I should call a businessman who gave me $1 million dollars on his behalf. Some weeks later, the first defendant also called me that I should meet the man and he gave me $850,000, $750,000 and $400,000 cash in tranches.”
Osazuwa further confirmed to the court that he knew Dumies Oil and Gas Limited while he was in Zenith Bank PlC. He added that that former CBN governor, who was also the MD of the company, always sent him to collect cheques from one Mr Monday.
The witness told court that he always logged the money into the account of Dumies on the order of Emefiele.
When he was asked of where the second defendant resides, he responded that Henry Isioma Omoile, lived in the residence of the former CBN governor.
His words, “Whenever I receive the money and take it to the residence of Mr Emefiele, he always tell me to give it to the second defendant whenever he was not at home.
“I did not keep 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 is $1 million all in cash.
“He has never for one day said take this. I have never been rewarded, paid or given anything because I am doing it out of faithfulness and he knows I am faithful to him.”
However, the witness was cross-examined by the defendant counsel, Mr Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal.
The witness confirmed to the court that he had been working with the defendant since 2002 but he could not say the precise years or months he had been seen the second defendant
Osazuwa said that he was sure that Omoile had been been living in Emefiele’s house for some months.
He affirmed that Emefiele passed instructions to him through the second defendant and that he had been collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas.
“I started collect collecting cheques for Dummies Oil and Gas when I was in Zenith Bank. I can not calculate the exact year I have been collecting the cheques but it all started when the first defendant was the MD at Zenith Bank and I was working at Zenith Bank Plc.”
The witness told the court when he was made to confront the second defendant during investigation, the second defendant didn’t admit that he instruction was pass through him.
Earlier before the trial, the judge refused the defendant counsel request for adjournment twice. Justice Rahman said he cannot continue in a cycle, there must be an end to submission.
He ruled that the request for adjournment is unjustified. The judge said he asked the defendant counsel if he objected to the accelerated hearing request by the prosecution, he told court he has no objections.
Justice Oshodi subsequently adjourned the case to April 29 for trial and hearing of application for closed-session for some of the prosecution witnesses.
Earlier, the court granted N 50 million bail to the embattled embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for alleged abuse of office and fraud to the tune of $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
Justice Oshodi, in his ruling, admitted Emefiele to N50 million bail with two sureties in like sum.
The court held that the sureties must be gainfully employed and have three years tax payment with the Lagos State Government.
He also said that the sureties must show proper identification and they must be registered in the Lagos State Bail Management System.
The judge also said that he was satisfied with the bail conditions of N1 million, earlier given to Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoil who is standing another charge beofre Justice Olufunke Sule-Hamzat before a Yaba High Court.
Oshodi, however, said that the bail documents must be transferred to special offences court and it must also be registered in the Lagos State Bail Management System.
