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Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has challenged the admissibility of statements the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeks to tender against him in his ongoing $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion fraud trial. Emefiele told the court that the statements were not made voluntarily, alleging that they were obtained under conditions of torture, intimidation, and prolonged detention following his arrest in 2023.
During proceedings before the Federal High Court in Lagos, Emefiele’s legal team opposed the EFCC’s attempt to introduce the statements as evidence, arguing that the former apex bank chief was denied fundamental rights during his detention. According to the defence, Emefiele was subjected to psychological pressure and was not in a proper state to freely provide the statements now being relied upon by prosecutors. The court subsequently ordered a trial-within-a-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntarily obtained and therefore admissible.
The EFCC is prosecuting Emefiele over allegations involving financial impropriety, abuse of office, and unlawful handling of public funds during his tenure as governor of the Central Bank. Prosecutors maintain that the statements were lawfully obtained and are relevant to proving the charges before the court. The anti-graft agency has continued to pursue multiple cases against the former CBN governor since his suspension and arrest in 2023.
The case remains one of Nigeria’s most closely watched corruption trials because of Emefiele’s former role at the helm of the nation’s monetary authority. The court is expected to hear evidence from both the prosecution and defence regarding the circumstances under which the disputed statements were made before deciding whether they can be admitted as part of the main trial. A ruling on the admissibility issue could significantly influence the direction of the broader fraud proceedings.
