Former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele named his niece as one of the beneficiaries of money from an account purportedly run on his behalf, according to testimony given to the court by Mr. John Ogah, a former secretary to the Central Bank of Nigeria, or CBN.

Ogah is testifying before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja.

Ogah, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s sixth prosecution witness, made the revelation in response to inquiries from Rotimi Oyedepo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the Commission’s attorney.

He informed the court that he knew Emefiele had directed Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, the fifth prosecution witness and an account officer at Zenith Bank, to transfer money to his niece Hannah’s account.

Since Hannah’s name was not mentioned in the allegation, Emefiele’s attorney, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, objected to this line of inquiry and questioned the testimony’s applicability.

According to Emefiele’s attorney, it was an effort to add sensationalism to the case.

However, the EFCC attorney insisted that it was related to the matter at hand, the abuse of office accusation, and giving Emefiele’s acquaintances and close relatives—including his wife, Margaret—corrupt advantages.

The EFCC also used the witness to present in court a number of emails he made to the account officer of three Zenith Bank companies—Comec Support Services Ltd., Limelight Multidimensional Services Ltd., and Andswin Resources Limited—requesting money transfers to specific recipients.

The firms were allegedly used to launder money for the former governor of the CBN, according to the EFCC.

In order to continue the trial, Justice Rahman Oshodi postponed the case until November 28, 2024.