A key prosecution witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele has conceded he did not personally interrogate the defendant and was unaware of critical judicial decisions in the case.
Emefiele is on trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges including criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegeshe fraudulently obtained $6,230,000 meant for international election observers during the 2023 general elections. He has pleaded not guilty.
Testifying as the 12th prosecution witness (PW12), David Jaiyeoba, told the court his findings were derived from documents and statements of other suspects, not from direct interrogation of Emefiele. Under cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Matthew Burkaa, Jaiyeoba admitted he never visited the CBN Governor’s residence or any alleged renovation sites linked to the case. He stated the EFCC’s information on the renovations came solely from statements by a company director.
The witness also demonstrated limited knowledge of CBN’s internal procurement procedures. He could not recall the name of the committee that vets contracts and did not interview the officers involved, stating an Abuja-based team handled those interviews. When asked if Emefiele was a member of the Major Contract Tender Committee, Jaiyeoba replied, “I cannot remember.” Challenged on who qualified companies for contracts, he said, “I am not a staff, so I would not know.”
The testimony further revealed potential oversights by the prosecution. Burkaa presented a Court of Appeal judgment from June 2025 that overturned a previous forfeiture order related to properties in the case. Jaiyeoba, who had previously testified about the forfeiture, said he was seeing the appeal judgment for the first time and acknowledged the EFCC was bound by it.
Burkaa also challenged the timing of Emefiele’s extrajudicial statement, which was obtained 73 days after the EFCC filed the charges in August 2023. Jaiyeoba said he was unaware of the dates. Additionally, the witness confirmed he did not confront Emefiele with statements from other individuals, such as one from a person named Nweke.
The trial, which examines allegations of corrupt advantages conferred on companies April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd, was adjourned by Justice Hamza Muazu to Tuesday for continuation. The proceedings have highlighted tensions between the EFCC’s investigative approach and detailed procedural challenges raised by the defence concerning evidence and judicial timelines. The case continues to draw attention as a major test of Nigeria’s anti-corruption machinery involving a former top banking official.
