Alleged $4.5bn Fraud: Witness Tells Court EFCC Forced Him To Write Statement To Indict Emefiele

 Alleged $4.5bn Fraud: Witness Tells Court EFCC Forced Him To Write Statement To Indict Emefiele

A defence witness, Henry Omolie, on Friday told the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegedly forced him to write a statement implicating the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

Omolie, who is also the second defendant in the alleged $4.5 billion fraud case filed by the EFCC against him and Emefiele, testified before Justice Rahman Oshodi during a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of a purported confessional statement he allegedly made while in EFCC custody.

While giving evidence, the witness told the court that he was shocked and traumatised when his lawyer, Nnamdi Offiah, discovered the statement he was compelled to write at the EFCC office but was subsequently asked to leave the interrogation room.

“The act of asking my lawyer to leave was shocking to me. I was surprised, afraid and traumatised. I had to beg Mr Azeez to allow me some time to recover from the shock,” Omolie told the court.

He added that his lawyer had not made any offensive remarks but had only questioned why the statement was taken in his absence.

“He was only asking why I should write a statement without him being present. I protested when they asked him to leave and questioned why they wanted to interrogate me in the absence of my lawyer, but they said they had their own way of conducting interrogations,” he said.

Omolie further stated that after writing his initial statement, the EFCC interrogator told him he had failed to cooperate and that he would not be released unless he complied with their demands.

According to him, the situation led to a second statement which he said was dictated to him by the EFCC interrogator, despite his insistence that he could only write what he knew.

“When it became clear that they would not release me, I instructed my lawyer to file a fundamental human rights suit on my behalf because Alvaan told me he would not grant me bail.

“He promised that if I cooperated with him, he would release me on bail, but warned that I would be detained or prosecuted if I refused to do what he wanted,” Omolie said.

He told the court that the interrogator later complained that the statement he wrote was not satisfactory and demanded that he include additional information.

“He said what I wrote was not enough and asked me to write more. He wanted me to include certain things which I told him I could not write because I had no knowledge of them. He insisted that I would not be released,” the witness added.

Omolie said he subsequently instructed his lawyer on February 27, 2024, to file a fundamental human rights suit after being informed that he would not be granted bail.

Emefiele is currently standing trial on a 19-count charge filed by the EFCC bordering on alleged receipt of gratification and making corrupt demands during his tenure as CBN Governor.

Omolie, his co-defendant, is facing three counts relating to the alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts as an agent.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Oshodi adjourned further hearing in the case until April 17, 2026.