Emefiele’s co-defendant didn’t write his statements under duress, EFCC officer tells court

Alvan Gurumnaan, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the agency did not force Henry Omoile, co-defendant of Godwin Emefiele, ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to make statements.

Gurumnaan appeared at the special offences court in Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday to testify at the trial-within-trial in the ongoing case against Emefiele and Omoile.

Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on receiving gratification and corrupt demands as CBN governor.

While Omoile is facing a three-count charge bordering on unlawful acceptance of gifts by a public officer.

One of the prosecution witnesses had previously told the court that he routinely collected dollars in cash from some individuals for Emefiele and handed them to Omoile on the orders of the ex-CBN governor.

During the trial on October 9, Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC counsel, sought to tender Omoile’s extra-judicial statements as evidence.

However, Kotoye Adeyinka, counsel to Omoile, told the court that the statements were not voluntarily made.

As a result, Ramon Oshodi, the trial judge, ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain whether the statements were made under duress.

TUESDAY’S PROCEEDINGS

At the resumption of hearing on Tuesday, Gurumnaan, who was previously with the special operations unit of the EFCC Lagos zonal command, narrated how Omoile made the statements at the agency’s conference room in Block A of the Lagos office at Awolowo road, Ikoyi.

The EFCC operative said Omoile came to the EFCC office on February 26, 2024 accompanied by E. N. Offiong, his lawyer.

He added that the defendant made four statements. Three of them were dated February 26, 2024, while the remaining one was dated February 27, 2024.

The operative said no officer of the agency coerced Omoile to make his statements.

“The second defendant did not make any statement under duress. Our officers do not force statements through violence or intimidation,” he said.

“The statements were signed by the second defendant. He even wrote, ‘I am making this statement in the presence of my lawyer, Offiong.’”

The EFCC operative said Omoile’s lawyer was present on both days as his client wrote the statement at the agency’s office in Lagos.

He tendered the EFCC visitors’ register as supporting evidence since the presence of Omoile’s lawyer was not expressly mentioned in one of the statements.

During cross-examination, the EFCC operative admitted that no video recording was made while Omoile’s statements were being taken, despite it being part of the EFCC’s standard practice

He said certain operational circumstances hinders video recording in some situations.

The trial judge adjourned further hearing to Thursday, January 15, and Friday, January 16, 2026.