Emefiele: $2.045m Cash, Title Documents Recovered from Lawyer Belonged to Emefiele – Witness

Emefiele in court

By JUMOKE SANNI

The 12th Prosecution Witness, PW12, David Oyesina Jaiyeoba in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Friday, January 30, 2026, told the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu that the sum of $2,045,000 (Two Million, Forty Five Thousand United States Dollars) and title documents recovered from Emefiele’s lawyer, belonged to Emefiele.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel and Director, Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness, an investigation officer with the Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, informed the court that the defendant’s investigation was triggered by a report sent to the Commission by the Inter-Agency Task Force, headed by the Directorate of State Services, DSS.

“Several individuals, companies and government agencies were invited and interviewed and several findings were made,” he said, adding that a lot of assets as well as cash were recovered in the process which have been forfeited to the federal government.

“Two million dollars was discovered to have come from one Eric Ocheme Odo. The said Eric was PA (Personal Assistant) to the defendant during his tenure as governor of CBN. It was confirmed by the person who kept the over $2,0450,000, who happens to be the lawyer of the defendant, that the cash we found in his possession was the property of the defendant. We found property documents and he also confirmed that the property belonged to the defendant,” he said.

Testifying further, he said, “My lord, funds amounting to $2,045,000.00 alongside several property title documents were recovered from Zenith Bank Plc Headquarters in Lagos in the possession of one Mr. Collins Omeife, lawyer to the defendant. In the course of our investigations on Collins, it was discovered that Mr. Collins Omeife had been acquiring and perfecting title documents on the instruction of the defendant.”

Omeife, according to the witness, disclosed on interrogation that the defendant was in the habit of giving him cash, some in foreign currency, precisely United States Dollars for the acquisition of properties. He further stated that the funds were usually sent to him by the defendant’s personal assistant, Eric Ocheme Odoh. Omeife, the witness said, also used part of the funds to renovate some of the old assets of the defendant.