EFCC Insists Omoile’s Statements Were Voluntary in Ongoing $4.5bn Emefiele Fraud Trial

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, told the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, that the second defendant, Henry Omoile, voluntarily made the statements attributed to him in the ongoing $4.5 billion fraud trial involving former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge bordering on gratification and corrupt demands, while Omoile, his co-defendant, is charged with three counts related to unlawful acceptance of gifts. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Testifying in a trial-within-trial, EFCC operative Alvan Gurumnaan maintained that no officer of the Commission coerced Omoile into making the statements.
“The second defendant did not make any statement under duress. Our officers do not force statements through violence or intimidation,” he told the court, adding that the burden of proving duress rests on the defendant.

At the previous sitting on October 9, 2025, prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) sought to tender Omoile’s extra-judicial statements in evidence, but defence counsel Kotoye Adeyinka (SAN) objected, arguing that they were not voluntarily made. Justice Oshodi consequently ordered a trial-within-trial.

Gurumnaan, formerly of the EFCC’s Special Operations Unit in Lagos, recounted that Omoile made the statements at the Commission’s conference room in Block A of its Lagos Directorate on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. He described the venue as a large, open conference space routinely used by the Special Operations Team.

He said he was surprised by the suggestion of coercion, noting that Omoile arrived at the EFCC office on February 26, 2024, accompanied by the Acting Managing Director of NIBSS and his lawyer, E. N. Offiong.
“The statements were taken openly. There is no way we could have done that under threat,” he said.

The court admitted four statements—three dated February 26, 2024, and one dated February 27, 2024—as Exhibits 1–4. Gurumnaan confirmed that Omoile was in custody at the time and had been duly cautioned. He said the cautionary words were administered by another team member, Azeez Ajigbotosho.

“The statements were signed by the second defendant. He even wrote, ‘I am making this statement in the presence of my lawyer, Offiong,’” Gurumnaan added.

Although one of the statements did not explicitly mention the lawyer’s presence, the witness insisted that Offiong was present on both days and tendered the EFCC visitors’ register to support his claim.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Adeyinka (SAN), the witness admitted that the statements were not video-recorded, despite video documentation being part of EFCC’s standard procedure. He explained that operational circumstances sometimes make recordings impracticable.

Justice Oshodi adjourned further hearing in the trial-within-trial to January 15 and 16, 2026.