A defence witness on Thursday alleged before the Special Offences Court in Ikeja that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission attempted to pressure a co-defendant in the ongoing fraud trial of a former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to incriminate him.
The witness, Nnamdi Offial, who is counsel to Henry Omoile, told the court that investigators sought to extract a statement linking Emefiele to the alleged offences through inducements and threats while Omoile was in custody.
Justice Rahman Oshodi is currently conducting a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statement allegedly obtained from Omoile by the EFCC was made voluntarily.
Offial claimed that EFCC officials promised his client bail and possible exemption from prosecution if he agreed to make statements implicating Emefiele in the alleged $4.5bn and N2.8m fraud case.
Emefiele and Omoile are standing trial on charges bordering on accepting gratification, receiving gifts through proxies, corrupt practices and fraudulent receipt of property, all of which they have denied.
While testifying, Offial alleged that the interrogation process was manipulated, stating that his client was restricted to giving answers that suited the investigators’ narrative and was prevented from writing responses that differed from their expectations.
He told the court that disagreements arose when he objected to the method of questioning, adding that the situation escalated the following day when he discovered that Omoile was being interrogated in his absence.
According to the witness, his intervention angered an officer identified as David, leading to his removal from the interrogation area after a confrontation.
Offial further stated that Omoile remained in detention for 21 days, a development that compelled him to institute a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
He explained that although bail was eventually granted by Justice Muslim Hamza, Omoile was ordered to remain at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of bail conditions.
Under cross-examination by the EFCC’s lead prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness admitted that Omoile was cautioned in his presence and signed the cautionary statement.
He also acknowledged that he did not file any petition against the EFCC over the alleged misconduct and confirmed that the court handling the rights enforcement suit did not make any adverse findings against the commission.
Justice Oshodi subsequently adjourned the matter until January 16, 2026, for the continuation of the trial-within-trial proceedings.