An Ikeja Special Offences Court has admitted the extra-judicial statements of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, as evidence in his ongoing trial over alleged abuse of office.
Justice Rahman Oshodi on Thursday ruled that the statements were admissible and marked them as Exhibit K31, paving the way for the continuation of the substantive trial.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case until October 6 for further hearing.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged gratification, corrupt demands, and abuse of office involving transactions valued at $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
His co-defendant, Henry Omoile, is facing a three-count charge over alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts.
The court had earlier fixed July 9 to deliver its ruling on the admissibility of the statements after Emefiele’s lawyer, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), challenged their use as evidence.
Ojo argued that the statements were not voluntarily made, alleging that they were obtained through oppression and physical and mental torture while Emefiele was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) for more than 157 days.
The senior lawyer relied on provisions of the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, and relevant sections of the Evidence Act, arguing that the absence of video recordings of the interrogation sessions made the statements unreliable and inadmissible.
He also questioned the involvement of the lawyer who witnessed the interviews and urged the court to reject the statements.
However, the prosecution opposed the defence’s claims, calling an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigator, Mr Alvan Gurumnaan, as a witness.
Gurumnaan told the court that Emefiele was invited for questioning in the presence of his lawyer and that the interviews were conducted with his legal representative present.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), argued that there was no need for a trial-within-trial, maintaining that the statements were not confessional statements.
Samuel Agada is a writer and media contributor from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Jos and a former banker with GTBank and FCMB. A prolific writer, songwriter, educator, and Gospel preacher, he is passionate about informing, inspiring, and impacting society through his work.