A defence witness on Thursday told the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) attempted to coerce his client into implicating former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The witness, Nnamdi Offial, who is counsel to Henry Omoile—the second defendant in the ongoing $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 million fraud trial involving Emefiele—made the allegation while testifying in a trial-within-a-trial ordered by Justice Rahman Oshodi.
The trial-within-trial was convened to determine whether statements allegedly made by Omoile to the EFCC were given voluntarily.
Offial alleged that EFCC investigators offered inducements to his client, including promises of bail and possible non-prosecution, if he agreed to make statements incriminating Emefiele.
Emefiele and Omoile are facing multiple charges bordering on accepting gratification, receiving gifts through agents, corruption and fraudulent receipt of property. The EFCC also accused them of conferring corrupt advantages on associates, contrary to provisions of the Corrupt Practices Act, 2000. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Testifying at the resumed hearing, Offial told the court that the head of the EFCC interrogation team assured Omoile that cooperation would lead to leniency. He further alleged that the interrogation was conducted in a restrictive question-and-answer format, with investigators allegedly refusing to allow Omoile to write responses that did not align with their expectations.
“On several occasions, questions were put to the second defendant and he answered, but he was not allowed to write them down because the answers did not conform to what the interrogators wanted him to say. I objected to this many times,” Offial said.
He also recounted that after the interrogation session on February 26, 2024, EFCC officers informed him that Omoile would continue to be detained. According to him, the following day he discovered that his client was being interrogated without his presence and challenged the procedure.
Offial said an EFCC officer identified as David confronted him over his intervention, leading to a confrontation after which he was escorted out of the premises.
“I reported the incident to the team leader, who asked me to remain in the waiting area,” he said.
He added that he was unable to access his client again until about 8pm, when Omoile was returned to the detention facility.
“Later, I was told that he had refused to cooperate with them and that they were not going to release him. That was when I applied for bail from the EFCC zonal head,” Offial told the court.
According to him, Omoile was detained for 21 days, prompting him to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos. He said Justice Muslim Hamza later granted bail but ordered that Omoile be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the perfection of bail conditions.
However, during cross-examination by EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Offial made several concessions. He admitted that Omoile was cautioned in his presence and that the caution was duly signed by his client. He also confirmed that he participated in the statement-taking process and understood that any statement made could be used against Omoile in court.
Offial further acknowledged that he did not file a petition or formally report the alleged misconduct against the EFCC. He also admitted that the judge who heard the fundamental rights suit did not indict the EFCC for misconduct and that his client was not harassed in his presence.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case to January 16, 2026, for the continuation of the trial-within-a-trial.
