By Ola Williams
A banker, Mrs. Ifeoma Ogbonaya, testified in court on Tuesday, revealing how former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, allegedly abused his office by awarding CBN contracts to his own companies.
Emefiele is on trial along with Henry Omoile before Justice Rahman Oshodi at the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja. The charges include abuse of office and the illegal allocation of $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion during Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor.
Ogbonaya, the fifth prosecution witness, testified that while she had no direct dealings with Emefiele, she received instructions from his wife, Mrs. Margaret Emefiele, to transfer funds from the CBN into their private companies’ accounts. She also received instructions from John Ogah and Opeyemi Oludimu, both of whom worked for the Emefiele family.
“All the transfer instructions to the accounts came from Mrs. Margaret Emefiele,” Ogbonaya stated. “Whenever she sent instructions or relayed them through the other two individuals, I always confirmed from her directly.”
The companies benefiting from these transfers included Limelight Multidimensional Ltd, Kome Support Services Ltd, Ansbaswin Resources Ltd, and Mago Farm. Ogbonaya detailed the involvement of these companies in various CBN facilities and services.
“Limelight manages the facilities of the CBN located at Alakija,” she explained. “Answabian provided diesel to vendors, and Kome managed facilities for the CBN guest house in Ikoyi.”
Ogbonaya further testified about specific transactions, noting significant cash flows from the CBN to these companies’ accounts. “Between March 9 and 11, 2015, the account received N1,792,593 and N18,869,400. On February 22, 2021, there was a cash flow of N42,988,758.75; on July 21, 2022, N37,279,964.70; on October 21, 2022, N44,641,077.60; and on May 10, 2023, N93,100,000.”
Justice Oshodi granted Emefiele’s request to recall the first prosecution witness, Monday Osazuwa, for fresh cross-examination. The trial is set to continue on July 10.
