A co-defendant in the trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has alleged that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) pressured him to provide incriminating evidence against the ex-CBN chief.
Nnamdi Offia, counsel to Henry Omoile, made the allegation on Thursday while testifying as a defence witness before a special offences court in Ikeja, Lagos, during a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of Omoile’s statements to the EFCC.
Emefiele is currently facing a 19-count charge bordering on receiving gratification and making corrupt demands while serving as CBN governor.
Omoile, his co-defendant, is charged with three counts relating to the unlawful acceptance of gifts as a public officer.
Previously, a prosecution witness had told the court that he regularly collected large sums of foreign currency on behalf of Emefiele and delivered them to Omoile on the former CBN governor’s instructions.
In October 2025, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo sought to tender Omoile’s extra-judicial statements as evidence. However, Omoile’s lawyer objected, arguing that the statements were obtained under duress. This prompted the court to order a trial-within-trial.
Testifying during the resumed hearing, Offia alleged that EFCC investigators restricted Omoile during interrogation on February 26, 2024, preventing him from freely expressing himself.
According to the lawyer, his client’s answers were rejected whenever they did not align with what investigators wanted him to say. He claimed that investigators promised Omoile bail and immunity from prosecution if he agreed to implicate Emefiele.
Offia further alleged that he was forcibly removed from the interrogation room by an EFCC officer identified as David after questioning the process. He said his client was detained for 21 days, prompting him to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the federal high court in Lagos.
Although the court later granted Omoile bail, it ordered that he be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the perfection of bail conditions.
During cross-examination, Offia admitted that he neither filed a formal petition against the EFCC nor lodged an official complaint regarding the alleged misconduct.
He also confirmed that the judge who handled the fundamental rights suit did not find the EFCC guilty of wrongdoing and that Omoile was not harassed in his presence.
The court adjourned further hearing in the case to January 16.
