A former director at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), John Ikechukwu Ayoh, has testified against Godwin Emefiele, the ex-governor of the apex bank, in an ongoing case of abuse of office at the Lagos High Court. Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are facing a 26-count charge, to which they have pleaded not guilty.
Ayoh, who worked at the CBN from June 2014 to April 2019, told the court that he did not work directly under Emefiele but reported to Adebayo Adelabu, a former deputy governor of CBN and current Minister of Power. As the head of procurement and support services (PSS), Ayoh was responsible for receiving bids and selecting successful contractors.
The former CBN director revealed that he collected money from contractors as gratification for awarding contracts, as instructed by Emefiele. Emefiele’s personal assistant, John Adetona, would collect the kickbacks from Ayoh. On two occasions, Ayoh claimed he collected $400,000 and $200,000 in cash from contractors and handed them over to Adetona.
During cross-examination, Ayoh admitted that he was under duress from Emefiele to accept the gratifications. He stated that the money was meant to influence the award of contracts, and Emefiele would not approve contracts without gratification.
The court granted Emefiele a fresh interim bail pending the fulfillment of the earlier stipulated bail conditions. The trial has been adjourned to May 3, 9, and 17 for continuation.
This testimony is another development in the case against Emefiele, who is accused of abusing his office during his tenure as CBN governor.
