Court Dismisses Emefiele’s Objection, Admits His Statements in $4.5bn Fraud Trial

The Lagos State Special Offences Court has overruled former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele’s bid to exclude his extra-judicial statements from evidence. Justice Rahman Oshodi ruled the statements are admissible because they do not contain any admission of guilt. The judge held that Section 4 of the Anti-Torture Act does not require a trial-within-a-trial when a statement is not a confession. He found no evidence that Emefiele’s remarks to the EFCC amounted to a clear admission of the offences alleged. Emefiele’s defence argued the statements were coerced during his 157-day detention by the DSS and lacked independent proof of voluntariness. The prosecution countered that none of the statements qualified as confessional and urged the court to move the substantive trial forward. The court admitted the disputed statements made between October and November 2023 and adjourned for trial on October 6–8 and November 11–13, 2026. Emefiele faces a 19-count charge of corruption and abuse of office involving about $4.5 billion, alongside co-defendant Henry Omoile.

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