Emefiele’s Niece, Wife Received Funds, Listed As Beneficiaries – Witness

Mr. John Ogah, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) secretary, testified in court on Wednesday that his niece was one of the beneficiaries of funds allegedly being used on his behalf by his former boss, Godwin Emefiele, and that he had continued his testimony.

Ogah, who is the sixth prosecution witness, made the disclosure while addressing Rotimi Oyedepo, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lawyer.

Ogah testified to the court that he was aware that the former CBN governor once directed an account officer from Zenith Bank, Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, to deposit money into Hannah’s account.

Emefiele’s Counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo, raised objections to this line of questions and queried the relevance of the testimony as Hannah’s name was not mentioned anywhere in the charge. He argued that the situation was intended to stir up sensationalism.

The EFCC Counsel, however, countered the objection, he maintained that it was connected to the fact in issue and abuse of office charge and of conferring corrupt advantage on Emefiele’s associates and immediate family members including his wife, Margaret.

The EFCC also filed in evidence several emails he sent to the account representatives of three companies, Comec Support Services Ltd, Limelight Multidepartments Ltd, and Andswin Resources Limited, all of whom worked for Zenith Bank.

The former CBN governor’s funds were allegedly laundered by the companies, according to the EFCC.

Source: Channels TV