During the resumed trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, a prosecution witness, Mr. Richard Agulu, testified that he never received funds directly from Emefiele in connection with the 753 Abuja duplexes case.
Agulu, previously employed at Zenith Bank Plc and now with the Nigeria Communications Commission, said he only interacted with Emefiele’s Personal Assistant, Mr. Eric Ocheme. “I never received a dime directly from the defendant. I received the funds through his personal assistant, Eric Ocheme,” he insisted under cross-examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Mr. Matthew Burkaa.
When asked if he ever saw Emefiele handing money to Ocheme, Agulu said he had not, but noted that instructions were relayed via Ocheme, sometimes through phone calls. He clarified that his earlier extrajudicial statement did not specify phone communications but confirmed instructions were given.
Agulu also explained that transactions he processed were authenticated by the owners of Kelvito Integrated Services, Chukwuma Okpala, and Ifeadigo Integrated Services, Peter Adebayo. He stressed that the instructions he received were executed through banking instruments and not via cheques, letters, email, or text.
Notably, Agulu acknowledged that under CBN guidelines and Zenith Bank operational manuals, staff should only honor instructions given formally by the account holder, via cheque, or when the customer is present. Since neither Emefiele nor Ocheme was the account holder, Agulu routinely included the account owners’ names on deposit slips.
The witness’s testimony forms part of the ongoing prosecution effort in a case that has attracted widespread public attention, highlighting procedural and accountability concerns in the management of funds linked to public housing projects.
