News
Emefiele: Contractor speaks on how he paid $600,000 bribe to CBN director
Emefiele: Contractor speaks on how he paid $600,000 bribe to CBN director
In a dramatic revelation before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, a contractor with the Central Bank of Nigeria testified on Friday that he paid a $600,000 bribe to a former CBN director to secure payment for a contract.
Victor Onyejiuwa, Managing Director of Resource Computer Limited, stated that while executing contracts for the CBN, Punch reported on Saturday.
He said he had no direct dealings with former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele. Instead, Onyejiuwa alleged that the bribe was paid to John Ayoh, the former CBN Director of Information Technology.
Onyejiuwa explained that all communications with Ayoh were conducted via WhatsApp. He testified that the first installment of $400,000 was paid in Lagos, and the remaining $200,000 was delivered in Abuja.
He noted that there was no formal authorization from CBN management to pay the bribe.
During cross-examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, Onyejiuwa confirmed that Ayoh signed both the contract award and its completion. He detailed that his first contract with the CBN was valued at N1.3 billion, and the second at $2.1 million.
READ ALSO:
- I have been doing a lot work without noise or media hype
- Doctor, nurses arrested over missing placenta in Kwara hospital
- Nigeria’s economic apartheid in electricity consumption – Farooq Kperogi
Onyejiuwa continued to work with the CBN until 2019, after Ayoh’s departure, and stated that no bribes were demanded for subsequent contracts executed under Emefiele’s tenure as governor.
“I did a new contract with the CBN, and no bribe was demanded and the payment for the contract was made in due time,” Onyejiuwa testified.
He admitted under cross-examination that he never sought confirmation from any CBN deputy governors regarding Ayoh’s authority to collect the bribe, nor did he have any direct instructions from Emefiele.
Onyejiuwa also revealed that he did not present any letter demanding a bribe to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court heard that the $600,000 was delivered directly to Ayoh in his office, and signed off by an IT department official after payment.
Former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele and co-defendant Henry Omoile face 26 counts related to abuse of office and alleged fraud totaling $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion. Both have pleaded not guilty.
On the previous hearing date, Onyejiuwa told Justice Rahman Oshodi that he was coerced into paying $600,000 before his contract payment was approved. He recounted a senior CBN official pressuring him in 2017, stating that payment would be withheld unless the bribe was paid. Following this, Onyejiuwa managed to gather $400,000 and $200,000, respectively, which facilitated the contract payment within weeks.
The trial is set to continue on July 9 and 10.
Emefiele: Contractor speaks on how he paid $600,000 bribe to CBN director
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
READ ALSO:
- Wike claims Adeyanju became activist after he rejected request to be PDP Publicity Secretary
- VeryDarkMan to Falana: I won’t apologise to anybody
- Court adjourns Falana’s suit against VeryDarkMan to January 2025
“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
READ ALSO:
- Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
- FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win
- 24-hour power supply: FG seeks private sector support for $10bn funding gap
The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
READ ALSO:
- 12-yr-old Nigerian girl invents air filter, gets $11.5m funding
- Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
- 94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
-
International3 days agoBelgium University offers scholarship up to €12,000 for Master’s students
-
Sports3 hours agoBREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
-
Railway2 days agoNigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
-
International2 days agoUK announces 45,000 seasonal worker visas for 2025
-
Aviation5 hours agoDisaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
-
Education1 day ago12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
-
International3 days agoSaudi crown prince says Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza
-
Business2 days agoTop 5 crypto apps that work with Nigerian Bank accounts