Justice Rahman Oshodi of an Ikeja Special Offences Court has adjourned till May 4, 2026, for ruling on the admissibility of an extra-judicial statement made by Henry Omoile, a co-defendant in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele
The adjournment followed the adoption of final written addresses by both the prosecution and defence during a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statement was made voluntarily.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged gratification, corrupt demands, and abuse of office relating to financial transactions. Omoile, on his part, is facing a separate three-count charge over alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts linked to CBN-related dealings.
The prosecution alleges that the transactions involved about $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
During proceedings, defence counsel Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN) argued that the central issue before the court was the voluntariness of the statement attributed to the second defendant.
He contended that the procedure used in obtaining the statement breached Sections 9(3) and (4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) as well as Sections 17(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Kotoye further argued that where voluntariness is in dispute, video recording of interrogations is essential to ensure compliance with due process.
He also criticised the prosecution for failing to provide independent evidence supporting the alleged confessional statement and questioned the effectiveness of legal representation present during the process, arguing that mere presence of a lawyer does not guarantee proper legal protection if the counsel was unable to intervene effectively.
The defence maintained that the statement may have been obtained under coercion or inducement, urging the court to reject it.
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