An Ikeja Special Offences Court has fixed May 4, 2026, to rule on the admissibility of a disputed extra-judicial statement in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case on Friday after both prosecution and defence counsel adopted their final written addresses in a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statement made by co-defendant Henry Omoile was voluntary.
Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge bordering on alleged gratification, corrupt demands, and abuse of office, while Omoile is being tried on a three-count charge over the alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts linked to CBN-related transactions.
The prosecution alleges that the transactions involved about $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
Arguing for the second defendant, Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN) told the court that the key issue was whether the statement was obtained voluntarily.
“The issue before this court is whether the statement credited to the second defendant was made voluntarily,” he said.
Kotoye argued that the process breached provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law and Act, stressing that the absence of video recording raises questions about due process.
“In situations where voluntariness is contested, video recording of the interrogation is essential,” he submitted.
He also faulted the prosecution for failing to provide independent evidence to support the statement and questioned the role of the lawyer said to have been present.
Counsel to Emefiele, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), also urged the court to reject the statement.
“Any doubt regarding the voluntariness of a statement must be resolved in favour of the accused,” he said, citing the Evidence Act.
Ojo maintained that the burden lies on the prosecution to prove that the statement was made voluntarily, arguing that this had not been established.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), urged the court to admit the statement, insisting it was obtained in line with the law.
“Though the statement was not video-recorded, it was made in the presence of the second defendant’s counsel,” he said.
He added that the contents of the statement showed no sign of coercion, noting that the second defendant neither implicated Emefiele nor admitted to the alleged offences.
Following the arguments, Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter for ruling on May 4, 2026, and fixed June 26 and June 30 for continuation of the trial.
