A co-defendant in the $4.5 billion fraud trial of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele has alleged in court that EFCC operatives coerced him into signing a false statement to incriminate the ex-governor.
Henry Omoile, the second defendant in the ongoing $4.5 billion fraud trial involving former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, told an Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday, March 6, 2026, that his purported confessional statements were the result of coercion. Testifying during a trial-within-trial before Justice Rahman Oshodi, Omoile claimed that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) pressured him to write specific details intended to incriminate Emefiele. He asserted that the statements, marked as Exhibits TWT 1–4, contained fabrications provided by investigators under the threat of immediate prosecution if he failed to comply.
Omoile detailed a “traumatic” interrogation session where he was allegedly separated from his legal counsel. He told the court that his lawyer, Nnamdi Offia, was asked to leave the room by an EFCC operative identified as “David,” leaving the defendant alone with his interrogators. Omoile alleged that the agency promised him “soft landing” and bail in exchange for his cooperation in providing evidence against the former apex bank chief. “The statement exhibits in trial-within-trial 1–4, I did not confess in that statement. I lied in my statement. EFCC threatened me that if I did not write what they wanted, they would charge me to court,” Omoile told the court.
The EFCC has vehemently denied these allegations, maintaining that Omoile’s statements were made voluntarily and in the presence of legal representation. Prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, argued during cross-examination that the defendant had signed the customary cautionary words before providing his testimony. However, Omoile insisted that the absence of video recording during the sessions—a point conceded by EFCC witnesses in earlier hearings—pointed to a breach of standard operational procedures. Justice Oshodi has adjourned the matter for further proceedings to determine the admissibility of the contested documents.