In his ruling, Justice Oshodi stated that the court had overruled the objections of the defence and admitted the documents as Exhibit G.
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, on October 9, 2025, admitted additional documents as exhibits and overruled the objections raised by the defence counsel.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi stated that the court had overruled the objections of the defence and admitted the documents as Exhibit G.
During the proceedings, prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) continued the examination of Alvan Gurumnaan, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who provided further insight into evidence uncovered during investigations.
Continuing his testimony, Gurumnaan read a WhatsApp conversation, tendered as part of Exhibit G, in which one Mr. Henry instructed John Adetola to deliver $400,000 to “Oga,” adding that he should “talk to him on WhatsApp if possible.”
“During our investigation, we asked for clarification from him. He explained that there was a conversation between him and Henry on the phone regarding how to meet Ayo to collect $400,000,” he said.
“John Adetola confirmed that he went to Lekki in Lagos, where he met Ayo, the personal assistant to the CBN governor, to deliver the money. We further asked him what’s in the messages, he confirmed it’s $400,000 and proceeded to CBN office in Lagos where he handed it over to Emefiele in the CBN office.”
Gurumnaan told the court that investigators invited John Ayo, a CBN staff member at the time, who confirmed during interrogation that Mr. Adetola visited his residence and gave him money meant for the first defendant.
Gurumnaan said Ayo admitted that this was not the only transaction, as he also received another $200,000, which he personally delivered to former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele in Lagos.
He further stated that Victor Oyedua, a CBN contractor, was also questioned and confirmed that he gave Ayo a total of $600,000, that is, $400,000 and $200,000 on separate occasions, to deliver to Emefiele.
According to Gurumnaan, Oyedua explained that his contract payments were being delayed, and he was told to “settle some management” officials to facilitate the release of his funds. His statement was also recorded during the investigation.
The prosecution on Thursday tendered additional documents from the CBN as exhibits before the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja.
Presenting the documents, the prosecuting counsel, Oyedepo, told the court that they included an original letter from a company to the EFCC dated February 24, 2024.
He described the documents as public records received by the EFCC during its investigation, noting that they represented primary evidence obtained directly from the source.
However, defence counsel led by Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN) objected to the admissibility of the documents, arguing that they were photocopies lacking proper certification and therefore failed to meet the standard of admissible evidence. They urged the court to reject them.
Justice Oshodi overruled the objections and admitted the bundle of documents as Exhibit H.
The court also admitted John Adetola’s MI 10T mobile phone as Exhibit I, after it was tendered by the prosecution. The phone, which was switched on and placed in flight mode, contained WhatsApp conversations between Adetola and one Henry, which were retrieved and analysed by EFCC investigators.
Additionally, the prosecution tendered statements allegedly made by the defendants during interrogation, urging the court to admit them in evidence. However, the defence objected, claiming the statements were obtained under duress.
In response, Justice Oshodi ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of the defendants’ statements.
He directed both parties to appear on November 21, 2025, for a report on their agreement regarding forensic inspection of the documents and devices, and adjourned the matter to December 2 and 3, 2025, for the mini-trial.
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