A prosecution witness, Monday Osazuwa, testified yesterday at a Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja that he did not maintain any records of the money he allegedly collected as bribes on behalf of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, who is currently on trial alongside Henry Omoile for alleged abuse of office and money laundering.
During his previous testimony on April 12, 2024, Osazuwa, a dispatch rider, claimed to have collected over $3 million in bribe money in various installments for Emefiele.
Responding to questions from Emefiele’s lawyer, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, after being recalled for further examination, Osazuwa admitted that he had not documented the alleged bribe amounts. He explained that he had been instructed by Emefiele not to keep any evidence of these transactions.
When questioned about whether he had provided any written instructions from Emefiele during his statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Osazuwa stated that he had referenced it in his statement but did not produce any documents showing the money he collected for Emefiele. “There is no document produced. The instructions given to me by the first defendant were that I should not write anything down,” he affirmed.
Osazuwa acknowledged the importance of keeping records of financial transactions for accountability and future reference but reiterated that he did not keep any records, stating, “I obeyed the instructions based on the money I collected for him.”
The defense counsel requested that Osazuwa be given copies of his extrajudicial statements made to the EFCC on February 13, 15, and 23, 2024, to refresh his memory. After reviewing the statements, Osazuwa confirmed, “I did not state it in my statement, but he instructed me not to record it. He instructed me that whenever he was not around, I should just go straight and give it to the second defendant.”
