Alvan Gurumnaan, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the agency did not force Henry Omoile, co-defendant of Godwin Emefiele, ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to make statements.
Gurumnaan appeared at the special offences court in Ikeja,
Lagos on Tuesday to testify at the trial-within-trial in the ongoing case
against Emefiele and Omoile.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on
receiving gratification and corrupt demands as CBN governor.
While Omoile is facing a three-count charge bordering on
unlawful acceptance of gifts by a public officer.
One of the prosecution witnesses had previously told the
court that he routinely collected dollars in cash from some individuals for
Emefiele and handed them to Omoile on the orders of the ex-CBN governor.
During the trial on October 9, Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC counsel,
sought to tender Omoile’s extra-judicial statements as evidence.
However, Kotoye Adeyinka, counsel to Omoile, told the court
that the statements were not voluntarily made.
As a result, Ramon Oshodi, the trial judge, ordered a
trial-within-trial to ascertain whether the statements were made under duress.
TUESDAY’S PROCEEDINGS
At the resumption of hearing on Tuesday, Gurumnaan, who was
previously with the special operations unit of the EFCC Lagos zonal command,
narrated how Omoile made the statements at the agency’s conference room in
Block A of the Lagos office at Awolowo road, Ikoyi.
The EFCC operative said Omoile came to the EFCC office on
February 26, 2024 accompanied by E. N. Offiong, his lawyer.
He added that the defendant made four statements. Three of
them were dated February 26, 2024, while the remaining one was dated February
27, 2024.
The operative said no officer of the agency coerced Omoile
to make his statements.
“The second defendant did not make any statement under
duress. Our officers do not force statements through violence or intimidation,”
he said.
“The statements were signed by the second defendant. He even
wrote, ‘I am making this statement in the presence of my lawyer, Offiong.’”
The EFCC operative said Omoile’s lawyer was present on both
days as his client wrote the statement at the agency’s office in Lagos.
He tendered the EFCC visitors’ register as supporting
evidence since the presence of Omoile’s lawyer was not expressly mentioned in
one of the statements.
During cross-examination, the EFCC operative admitted that
no video recording was made while Omoile’s statements were being taken, despite
it being part of the EFCC’s standard practice
He said certain operational circumstances hinders video
recording in some situations.
The trial judge adjourned further hearing to Thursday,
January 15, and Friday, January 16, 2026.
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