John Ayoh, a former Director of Information Technology at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), detailed how he obtained $600,000 purportedly for contract gratification for the embattled former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele.
On Monday, Ayoh, testifying at an Ikeja Special Offences Court under the guidance of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), disclosed his eight-year tenure at the apex bank.
Recounting receiving a letter from the agency regarding two transactions he facilitated through Emefiele, Ayoh mentioned that he received $400,000 at his residence in Lekki and an additional $200,000 at the Tinubu Head Office of the CBN.
As the Head of Procurement and Support Services (PSS Department), Ayoh elaborated that he was responsible for overseeing contract applications and selecting successful bidders.
During the transaction process, Ayoh recollected being instructed to hand-deliver the second envelope directly to Emefiele’s office after the governor declined a third party intermediary.
The witness clarified that the vendors delivering the cash-filled envelopes were coordinating Netapp Storage Architectural and Infrastructural Services implementation.
Under scrutiny by the defense counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Ayoh affirmed that despite not being tasked with Emefiele’s errands, he directly reported to him.
Ojo probed if Ayoh had expressed being compelled to assist in the acceptance of gratification, to which Ayoh responded, “I do not recall the exact wording, but I did not examine the total money in the envelopes as it was intended to influence contract awards.”
Ayoh disclosed that he was summoned by the EFCC on February 17 but was not detained. He stated that he felt coerced while accepting the envelopes.
Following legal debates, the witness’s statement was admitted into evidence comprising three pages. Ayoh asserted that Emefiele’s directives sometimes violated regulations.
The trial was adjourned until May 3 for further cross-examination, with Emefiele’s counsel seeking the defendant’s self-recognition due to bail conditions not being met.
Previously, a delivery agent was reported to have received $3 million in cash for Emefiele, who has been under scrutiny since his dismissal as CBN governor by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June.