Fresh testimony has emerged in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, with a former Zenith Bank employee telling the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that he processed cash deposits worth billions of naira allegedly linked to the former apex bank chief.
The witness, Richard Agulu, gave the testimony on Thursday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) continued prosecuting Emefiele over an alleged ₦7.8 billion fraud before Justice Yusuf Halilu.
Agulu, who appeared as the prosecution’s third witness, told the court that while working at Zenith Bank, he received large cash deposits from Eric Ocheme, whom he identified as Emefiele’s personal assistant. According to him, the funds were either paid into the accounts of Ifeabigo Integrated Services and Kelvito Integrated Services or kept in the bank’s vault.
During cross-examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), the witness said he acted only on instructions allegedly communicated by Ocheme through telephone conversations, adding that the directives originated from Emefiele.
Agulu maintained that every transaction followed the bank’s standard procedures, despite the unusually large volumes of cash involved.
“For every transaction, I followed normal banking procedures. I was given a verbal waiver by my superiors to attend to the defendant’s transactions,” he told the court.
However, when asked to identify the senior bank officials who allegedly granted the verbal approval, the witness declined to disclose their names. He insisted that he merely carried out his assigned responsibilities under the authority of his superiors.
Following the testimony, Justice Halilu adjourned the matter to allow the prosecution to continue presenting its evidence against the former CBN governor.
Emefiele is facing a 20-count amended charge filed by the EFCC, bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery, unlawful possession of property and conferring corrupt advantage. The anti-graft agency alleges that about ₦7.8 billion was moved through accounts operated by companies, including Kelvito Integrated Services and Ifeabigo Integrated Services, in transactions allegedly linked to him.
The former CBN governor has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and continues to challenge the allegations in court. He is also facing separate criminal cases in Lagos involving allegations of abuse of office, unlawful gratification and foreign exchange-related transactions worth billions of naira and millions of dollars.
