Court Admits Emefiele’s Statement as Trial Continues Over Alleged Multi-Billion Fraud
The trial of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, continued on Thursday at the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, with the court admitting his extra-judicial statement as evidence in the ongoing corruption case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering a ruling, Justice Rahman Oshodi dismissed the objections raised by the defence and held that the statement was legally admissible. The judge ruled that the contents of the statement did not amount to a confession or an admission of guilt, rejecting arguments that it should be excluded from the proceedings.
Emefiele’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), had urged the court to reject the statement, claiming it was obtained under duress while his client was in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). The defence alleged that Emefiele was subjected to oppression and torture during his detention, rendering the statement unreliable and inadmissible.
However, the prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed the application, arguing that there was no legal basis for the court to conduct a trial-within-a-trial since the statement did not constitute a confession under the law. The prosecution maintained that the statement was voluntarily made and should be admitted as evidence.
Justice Oshodi agreed with the prosecution’s position, ruling that the circumstances surrounding the statement did not warrant a separate trial to determine its voluntariness and subsequently admitted it into evidence.
Emefiele is standing trial alongside Henry Omoile on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office, corruption, acceptance of gratification through intermediaries, and fraudulent property transactions involving approximately 4.5 billion dollars and 2.8 billion naira.
Henry Omoile is also facing an additional three-count charge over allegations that he received unlawful gifts connected to transactions involving the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Both defendants have denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following Thursday’s proceedings, the court adjourned the case to October 6, 7 and 8, as well as November 11, 12 and 13, 2026, for the continuation of trial, during which the prosecution is expected to present additional witnesses and evidence in support of its case.
