“I have never been rewarded, paid, or given anything. I was doing it out of faithfulness, and he knows it, but he never for once said, ‘Take this’.
During the court session that led to the conditional bail of the embattled former Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Friday, April 12, a dispatch rider testified how he picked up $1 million, $850,000, $750,000, and $400,000 for him. In the court proceeding, Monday Osazuwa, who was identified as a dispatch rider and a contract staff member of the CBN, informed the honourable court that he collected a total of $3 million in cash for Emefiele. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, presided over Osazuwa’s testimony in chief, which revealed that he had worked as a dispatch courier for Zenith Bank since 2001, prior to becoming a contract staff member of the CBN in 2014.
Osazuwa narrated, “I was still working in the governor’s office when I was appointed a full-time staff member, and we usually communicated through WhatsApp and email. I performed as a senior supervisor, recording and filing with other officials. I could recall that, in 2020, when he was outside Lagos, Emefiele called me and gave me a number that a man had something I would 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 in it and was told to give it to my boss.”
Mr. Osazuwa further told the court that Emefiele usually collected money alone whenever he was in Lagos. According to him, any time the defendant was not around, Emefiele would tell him (Osazuwa) to give the money to the second defendant, Henry Omoile. Osazuwa added that Emefiele sent him to MINL Limited during his time at Zenith Bank. According to him, “This company is situated in Isolo. The first defendant (Emefiele) 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 the account of Dummies Oil and Gas.”
When I brought the money to my employer’s residence after receiving it, Mr. Emefiele instructed me to deliver it to the second defendant (Omoile) while he was away from the house.
“I did not keep a record of the transactions because he instructed me that I should collect the money and bring it to his house.
“The highest amount I collected was $1 million, all in cash. Some weeks later, the businessman also called me, and I collected $850,000, $750,000, and $400,000 in cash in different tranches.
“I have never been rewarded, paid, or given anything. I was doing it out of faithfulness, and he knows it, but he never for once said, ‘Take this’,” Mr. Osakuwa said.
Emefiele was charged by the EFCC with 23 offences on Monday, April 8. These offences include abuse of office, accepting gratifications induced by corruption, receiving property obtained fraudulently, and conferring corrupt advantage. Emefiele’s co-defendant faced arraignment on three counts related to accepting a gift from agents. Conversely, the accused entered a not-guilty plea to the charge. Labori-Lawal, the defence attorney, twice requested an oral adjournment in order to cross-examine the witness. However, Justice Oshodi denied both requests. A closed-section application and trial are scheduled to take place on April 29, 2024, as the magistrate postponed the case until then.
By Chidimma NWAFOR
