A defence witness, Henry Omolie, on Friday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegedly compelled him to write a statement implicating the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
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Omolie, who is also the second defendant in the alleged $4.5 billion fraud case filed by the EFCC, made the claim while testifying before Justice Rahman Oshodi during a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of a purported confessional statement he allegedly made while in EFCC custody.
Omolie disclosed that the statements marked as Exhibits TWT 1–4 did not contain a genuine confession, claiming that he wrote what investigators allegedly asked him to write.
“The statement exhibits in trial-within-trial 1–4, I did not confess in that statement. I lied in my statement. EFCC threatened me that if I did not write what they wanted, they would charge me to court,” he told the court.
The witness told the court that he became shocked and traumatised when his lawyer, Nnamdi Offiah, discovered that EFCC investigators were compelling him to write a statement in the lawyer’s absence at the commission’s office.
According to Omolie, when his counsel questioned the development, EFCC operatives insisted that the lawyer leave the interrogation room before the statement could be taken.
“The act of asking my lawyer to leave was shocking to me. I was surprised, afraid and traumatised. I had to beg Mr Azeez to allow me some time to recover from the shock,” Omolie told the court.
He added that his lawyer had not made any offensive remarks but had only questioned why the statement was taken in his absence.
“He was only asking why I should write a statement without him being present. I protested when they asked him to leave and questioned why they wanted to interrogate me in the absence of my lawyer, but they said they had their own way of conducting interrogations,” he said.
Omolie further stated that after writing his initial statement, the EFCC interrogator told him he had failed to cooperate and that he would not be released unless he complied with their demands.
According to him, the situation led to a second statement which he said was dictated to him by the EFCC interrogator, despite his insistence that he could only write what he knew.
“When it became clear that they would not release me, I instructed my lawyer to file a fundamental human rights suit on my behalf because Alvan told me he would not grant me bail.
“He promised that if I cooperated with him, he would release me on bail, but warned that I would be detained or prosecuted if I refused to do what he wanted,” Omolie said.
He told the court that the interrogator later complained that the statement he wrote was not satisfactory and demanded that he include additional information.
“He said what I wrote was not enough and asked me to write more. He wanted me to include certain things which I told him I could not write because I did not know of them. He insisted that I would not be released,” the witness added.
Omolie alleged that the head of the EFCC investigative team, identified as Alvan, allegedly promised that he would be granted bail and might not be charged if he cooperated by providing incriminating evidence against the former CBN governor.
“I just wanted to go home,” he said while responding to questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the statement.
During cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Omolie admitted that he was cautioned before making the statement and that he signed the cautionary words.
When asked whether the EFCC had filed a counter-affidavit to oppose the allegations he raised, Omolie responded in the affirmative. However, he admitted that he did not produce the document before the court.
He also told the court that he had discussed with his lawyer about filing a fundamental human rights enforcement suit and confirmed that the motion ex parte was tendered before the court that morning.
Under further questioning, he acknowledged that the ruling he tendered had no direct bearing on Exhibit D4, although he insisted that both issues were connected.
When asked by the prosecution whether he had filed any complaint or petition against the EFCC investigative team over the alleged threats, Omolie answered in the negative.
Emefiele is currently standing trial on a 19-count charge filed by the EFCC bordering on alleged receipt of gratification and making corrupt demands during his tenure as CBN Governor.
Omolie, his co-defendant, is facing three counts relating to the alleged unlawful acceptance of gifts as an agent.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Oshodi subsequently adjourned the matter till April 17, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses.
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