Monday Osazuwa, a dispatch rider, told the Special Offenses Court in Lagos that he was told by the troubled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to pick up the $3 million in cash in installments on several occasions.

Emefiele is on trial for alleged N2.8 billion and $4.5 billion in fraud and abuse of office.

In his testimony before Judge Raman Oshodi, Osazuwa stated that he had worked as a dispatch rider at Zenith Bank since 2001 “before joining the CBN as a contract staff member in 2014.” Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the attorney for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, led Osazuwa through his main evidence.

He attested to the fact that he had been collaborating with the accused since 2002.

In addition, he claimed that during his time as a dispatch rider at Zenith Bank, Emefiele served as both his supervisor and managing director.

At the time of my full-time staff appointment, I was still employed by the governor’s office, and our primary means of communication was email and WhatsApp.

“I recorded and filed with other official roles while serving as a senior supervisor.

I could remember that in 2020, while he was out of Lagos, Emefiele called and said that I should pick up something from a man and that he would give me the number of someone else.

“I was handed an envelope when I arrived at the man’s office. He clarified, “I counted the money in it and was told to give it to my boss.

The witness also informed the court that whenever Emefiele was in Lagos, he would typically gather money by himself. However, when Osazuwa was absent, Emefiele would instruct him to give the money to Henry Omoile, the second defendant

“This company is located at Isolo,” he continued. I was sent by the first defendant, Emefiele, to retrieve checks from Mr. Monday’s company. Once I returned the check to Mr. Monday, Emefiele would deposit the funds into Dummies Oil and Gas’s account.

“When I brought the money to my boss’s house after receiving it, Mr. Emefiele instructed me to give it to the other defendant, Oumole, if he wasn’t home.”

Since he told me to gather the money and bring it to his house, I didn’t keep track of the transactions.

“I have collected up to $1 million in cash at the highest level. A few weeks later, I received a call from the businessman as well, and I was paid $850,000, $750,000, and $400,000 in cash in various installments.

“I’ve never received money, gifts, or rewards. The witness stated, “I was acting out of loyalty, and he knows it, but he never once said, ‘Take this.'”

While acknowledging that Emefiele’s co-defendant Henry Isioma-Omoile resided in the former CBN governor’s home, Osazuwa said he brought all of the money he collected for Emefiele to his home at Iru Close, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Emefiele was earlier granted N50 million in bail by Justice Oshodi, along with two sureties in an equivalent amount.

According to his ruling, the sureties had to have paid taxes to the Lagos State Government for three years and be employed for a profit. Additionally, the bail paperwork needs to be registered in the Lagos State Bail Management System and sent to the Special Offenses Court.

Additionally, the judge expressed his satisfaction with the N1 million bail terms that had previously been given to Henry Isioma-Omoil, Emefiele’s co-defendant, who is currently on trial before Justice Olufunke Sule-Hamzat of the Yaba High Court, on a different charge.

Following that, the case was postponed until April 29, 2024, to allow for the trial and the consideration of an application for a closed section.