Henry Omolie, a a defence witness, has told an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, presided over by Justice Rahman Oshodi, how Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, forced him to write a confessional statement he knew was not true to indict former Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele.
Mr Omolie who is also the second Defendant in the alleged $4.5billion fraud case filed by EFCC, against him and Emefiele, was given evidence in the trial within trial on Friday, to test the veracity of the so called confessional statement allegedly written by the Witness while in EFCC office.
According to him, he was shocked and traumatized, when his personal lawyer, Nnamdi Offiah, stumbled on the statement he was forced to write, in EFCC, and the lawyer was walked out of the interrogation hall.
He added:”The act of walking away my lawyer, was shocking to me, to say the least. I was surprised, afraid and traumatised so that I had to beg Mr Azeez to give me some moment of respite to recover from the shock”.
He disclosed that his lawyer had not said any offensive words.
He added: “He was only asking me why should I have written statement in his absence. I protested when they asked my lawyer to go away. I told them why should they interrogate me in the absence my lawyer. They told me they have a way of doing their interrogation.
He said when he wrote the first statement, his interrogator said he failed to cooperate with them and that he would not be released until he did the dictates of the EFCC.
According to him, this led to the second statement dictated to him by EFCC interrogator, though he had told them he could only write what he knew about.
“When it dawned on me that they could not release me ,I told my lawyer to file a Fundamental Human Rights case on my behalf, because Alvaan told me he would not grant me bail.
“He made me promises that if I cooperate with him, he would release me on bail, but that he would detain me or prosecute me, If I failed to do what he wanted me to do and will subsequently charge me to court. This is stage I agreed to cooperate with them. Thereafter, the interrogation continued .
“He now called me that he has read my statement and that he was not happy with what I wrote. That I was not cooperating with them. He said what I wrote is not enough. I have to write more.
“He also wanted me to write certain things which I told him I can’t write because I do not have knowledge of them. He told me he would not release me. On 27/2/2024, I consequently instructed my lawyer to file FHR, that Alvaan has said he would not release me.
Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, bordering on receiving gratification and making corrupt demands during his tenure as CBN Governor.
His co-defendant, Henry Omolie, is facing three count charges related to the unlawful acceptance of gifts as an agent.
