A defence witness in the ongoing $4.5 billion and N2.8 million fraud trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele on Thursday alleged that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) attempted to coerce the second defendant, Henry Omoile, into implicating Emefiele.
Nnamdi Offial, who represents Omoile, made the claim while testifying at a trial-within-a-trial at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja. The hearing, ordered by Justice Rahman Oshodi, is examining whether Omoile’s statement to the EFCC was given voluntarily.
Offial alleged that EFCC investigators offered inducements, including the promise of bail and possible non-prosecution, if Omoile provided evidence implicating Emefiele. He also claimed that the interrogation was conducted in a restrictive question-and-answer format, preventing Omoile from writing responses that did not align with the investigators’ expectations.
According to Offial, after an interrogation session on February 26, 2024, Omoile was detained further, and the following day he was interrogated without his lawyer present. Offial recounted that he was confronted by an EFCC officer and escorted out of the premises, only regaining access to his client later in the evening.
He said Omoile was detained for 21 days, prompting him to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court, Lagos. Justice Muslim Hamza granted bail but ordered that Omoile be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the perfection of bail conditions.
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During cross-examination, EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) elicited admissions from Offial, including that Omoile was cautioned in his presence, signed the caution, and that he participated in the statement-taking process. Offial also admitted he did not report the alleged misconduct to any authority, and the judge in the fundamental rights suit did not indict the EFCC for misconduct.
Emefiele and Omoile are facing charges of accepting gratification, receiving gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent receipt of property, including conferring corrupt advantages on associates, contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act 2000. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the trial-within-a-trial to January 16, 2026, for continuation.