A contractor with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Victor Onyejiuwa, on Thursday, told the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja how he was pressured to pay $600,000 before he was paid for a contract.
Onyejiuwa, the Managing Director of Resource Computer Limited, testified in the ongoing trial of the former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The embattled Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are currently facing trial on 26 counts, bordering on abuse of office alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud.
The former CBN governor and Omoile pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Onyejiuwa, who was led in evidence-in-chief by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), told the court that his company offers services to both private and public enterprises, including banks and oil and gas companies.
He said his company deploys hardware and software-tailored solutions that address security, network, storage, backup solutions, data protection and recovery, virtualisation, data centre solutions, ICT training and education services and a host of other ICT needs.
Onyejiuwa told the court that his company provided information and communication technologies assistance to the apex bank between 2014 and 2019 within which it was awarded at least five contracts.
According to him, sometime in 2017, he got an ‘enterprise storage and servers’ from the CBN and after executing the job, he was approached by a senior official who told him that his payment would not be approved if he did not pay certain sums.
“The official said there was pressure on him. I told him that our payment was being delayed. He told me that if I didn’t accede to his request, my payment would not be approved.
“After several back and forth, I succumbed to his pressure. I was able to organise the sum of $400,000 and $200,000 to facilitate payment of the contract funds.
“Within two or three weeks after, the payment was made. That is what happened,” the witness said.
When asked by Oyedepo to mention the amount that was allocated to the contracts executed for the CBN, he said the highest contract sum was N1.2bn in 2017 and late 2018 when the naira traded at N360/$1.
He also told the court that there were other small payments of N24m and N17m.
He, however, said he did not bother himself about the identity of those whom the official said put pressure on him, adding that at that time, all that was important was for him to get the payment.
The defence could not cross-examine the witness as it was already 4:30 pm.
Consequently, Justice Oshodi adjourned the case till May 17 for continuation of trial.
Earlier, the second prosecution witness, John Ayoh, while concluding his cross-examination, told the court that on November 26, 2014, he had a confrontation with Emefiele as he wanted him to approach vendors and ask for gratification but he refused.
He said, “I walked out of his office and said he should sack me if he wanted to.”
Ayoh also stated that his relationship with the former apex bank boss was formal.
The third prosecution witness, a compliance officer with the Zenith Bank, Clement Ngolu, brought documents that were admitted into evidence following no objections from the first defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo SAN and the second defence counsel, Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN).
Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted into evidence, the original copies of the Zenith Bank account opening package and statement of account of Limelight Multidimensional Services Ltd which were sent to the EFCC.
“I have read the documents dated March 2024 and I admit the original certified copy of the bundles of documents which include account opening package, statement of accounts into evidence and are marked as exhibit A,” Justice Oshodi said.
Ngolu, in his evidence-in-chief, said his department responded to regulators and law enforcement agencies to ensure that bank activities were in line with bank policies and regulations.
He added that his department worked with agencies like EFCC, Nigeria Police, ICPC and NSCDC.
The witness said that sometime in 2014, his department got a request from the EFCC to furnish it with statements of accounts of Limelight and two other accounts and it duly furnished the anti-graft with the request.
“The documents we sent to the EFCC were duly signed by the staff of the bank,” he said.
