Former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele suffered a major legal setback on Thursday as a Lagos court admitted five of his extra-judicial statements to the EFCC into evidence in the ongoing $4.5 billion fraud trial.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court dismissed objections from Emefiele’s legal team, ruling that the statements were not confessional and did not require a “trial-within-trial” to test their voluntariness.
The admitted documents, marked Exhibit K31, cover statements allegedly made by Emefiele on October 27, October 30, November 11, November 12 and November 13, 2023 during EFCC interrogation.
—Court’s Ruling—
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Emefiele’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo (SAN), had asked the court to reject the statements, arguing they were obtained under “oppression and torture” during his client’s 157-day detention by the DSS.
Ojo cited the Anti-Torture Act, 2017 and the Evidence Act, insisting the prosecution must prove the statements were made voluntarily. He also faulted the absence of video recordings of the interrogations, calling them “poisoned fruits.”
But Justice Oshodi disagreed.
He held that Section 4 of the Anti-Torture Act did not warrant a separate trial because none of the statements contained an “unequivocal admission” of the offences.
“For a statement to qualify as confessional, it must contain an admission of the facts in issue,” the judge ruled, siding with the prosecution.
Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), had argued that a trial-within-trial was unnecessary since the documents were not confessions.
—The Charges—
Emefiele is standing trial alongside Henry Omoile on a 19-count charge bordering on abuse of office, gratification, acceptance of gifts through agents, corruption and fraudulent property transactions involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
Omoile faces a separate 3-count charge for allegedly receiving unlawful gifts linked to CBN transactions. Both have pleaded not guilty.
—What Next—
Following the ruling, Justice Oshodi adjourned the case to October 6, 7, 8 and November 11, 12, 13, 2026 for continuation of trial.
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The admission of the EFCC statements is expected to be a key plank of the prosecution’s case as it seeks to establish a pattern of conduct against the former CBN chief.
