How I Collected $3m Cash In Tranches For Emefiele: Dispatch Rider Tells Court

How I Collected $3m Cash In Tranches For Emefiele, Dispatch Rider Tells Court…

Monday Osazuwa, a former dispatch rider, told the Special Offenses Court in Lagos on Friday how Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria who is currently facing charges, told him more than once to collect the $3m cash in installments.

Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the lawyer for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, led Osazuwa as the main witness. He told the court that he had worked as a dispatch rider at Zenith Bank since 2001 and then as a contract staff member for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) starting in 2014.

Osazuwa said that Emefiele was the Managing Director of Zenith Bank when he was a dispatch rider there.

Osazuwa says he knew Emefiele because he was his boss at Zenith Bank before he joined him at the CBN.

The witness, who spoke in front of Justice Raman Oshodi, said that he was later put in charge of recording and filing papers as a senior supervisor (full-time) at the CBN Governor’s office in Lagos.

When Osazuwa was hired full-time, he said, “I was still working in the governor’s office, and we usually talked through WhatsApp and email.”

“As a senior supervisor, I did things like record keeping and filing, among other official duties.”

“I remember that in 2020, when Emefiele wasn’t in Lagos, he called me and gave me the number of a man who had something I could get from him. That man would then give me the number of someone else.”

“I was given an envelope when I got to the man’s office.” It had money in it, and I was told to give it to my boss, according to the Punch news report.

It was also said in court that Emefiele usually received money by himself when he was in Lagos.

Asazuwa said that Emefiele would tell him to give the money to the second defendant, Henry Omoile, whenever the first defendant wasn’t around.

He also said that Emefiele sent him to MINL Limited when he worked at Zenith Bank.

He also said, “This Company is in Isolo.” The first defendant, Emefiele, told me to pick up cheques from Mr. Monday on behalf of the company. When I did, I would give the cheques back to Emefiele, and he would deposit the money into Dummies Oil and Gas’s account.

Osazuwa also said that Henry Isioma-Omoile, Emefiele’s co-defendant, lives in the house of the former CBN governor.

He said that he would take Emefiele’s money to his home on Iru Close in Ikoyi, Lagos, when he got it for him.

Osazuwa talks about how he got $1 million, $850,000, $750,000, and $400,000 for an ex-CBN governor.

“Every time I got the money and took it to my boss’s house, Mr. Emefiele told me to give it to the second defendant, Omoile, when he wasn’t home.”

“I didn’t record what happened because he told me to get the money and bring it to his house.”

“The most money I ever got was $1 million, which was all cash.” A few weeks later, the businessman called me again, and this time I got $850,000, $750,000, and $400,000 in cash.

Osazuwa says Emefiele never rewarded him

“No one has ever rewarded, paid, or given me anything.” The witness said, “I did it out of loyalty, and he knows it, but he never once said, ‘Take this.'” reported, punch new.

The witness told the court that he had been working with the defendant since 2002 while being questioned by Mr. Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, the defense lawyer.

In the past, Justice Oshodi had given Emefiele N50m bail.

The charges against him are abuse of office and fraud worth $4.5bn and N2.8bn.

Emefiele was given N50m bail with two sureties, each putting up the same amount of money.

He said that the sureties had to have jobs and have paid their taxes to the Lagos State Government for three years.

Oshodi also said that the sureties had to show proof of who they were and be added to the Lagos State Bail Management System.

The judge was also happy with the N1m bail conditions that were given to Henry Isioma-Omoil, who is standing trial for another charge before Justice Olufunke Sule-Hamzat of the Yaba High Court.

 Oshodi said that the bail documents needed to be sent to the Special Offenses Court and filed in the Lagos State Bail Management System.

The judge adjourned the case until April 29, 2024, so that it could be tried and an application for a closed section could be heard.

Also see: Naira Appreciates By 7.2% Against The Dollar On The Official Market.