Emefiele Seeks Judge’s Recusal in Multi-Billion Naira Fraud Trial

Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, has called for the recusal of Justice Rahman Oshodi from his ongoing trial over alleged financial misconduct involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.

Emefiele, facing 19 counts of abuse of office, bribery, and corrupt practices, requested Monday’s court session, arguing that the judge allowed a leading question despite objections from his legal team.

The case, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), initially included 22 charges against Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile.

During Monday’s proceedings, EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo continued questioning the seventh prosecution witness, John Adetola, who had previously claimed he delivered a bribe from John Ayoh to Emefiele. Oyedepo also introduced a WhatsApp message from EFCC’s forensic extraction, allegedly linked to the case.

However, Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, strongly opposed the use of the message at this stage, arguing it was merely identified but not yet admitted as an official exhibit. Despite this, the judge ruled that under Section 224 of the Evidence Act, leading questions were permissible for undisputed matters—prompting a protest from the defence.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Emefiele’s defence team refused to cross-examine the witness and instead formally requested the judge’s recusal.

In response, EFCC’s counsel, Oyedepo, dismissed the move as a delaying tactic, emphasizing that the court had previously ruled against the prosecution multiple times, showing no signs of bias.

“I do not know what the defence is trying to prove by asking the court to recuse itself. There is no evidence of bias here,” Oyedepo argued. “This application is only meant to stall the trial.”

He urged the court to reject the request and proceed with the case, which had already been granted an accelerated hearing.