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Zenith Bank Manager Testifies in Emefiele Trial Over Alleged Financial Transactions
Mrs. Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, an Assistant Manager at Zenith Bank Plc, testified in the Ikeja Special Offences Court about alleged financial irregularities involving former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and his wife, Margaret Emefiele. She detailed how funds were purportedly transferred through Zenith Bank to companies linked to Mrs. Emefiele, including Amswing Resources and Solution, Limelight Dimensional Service Ltd., Omec Support Service Ltd., and Mango Farm. Ogbonnaya, who joined Zenith Bank in 2006 and serves as a Business Relationship Manager, stated that she received instructions from Mrs. Emefiele and others associated with her to facilitate these transactions.
According to Ogbonnaya, the transactions involved significant sums, such as ₦18.9 million and ₦1.8 million in March 2015, and subsequent flows including ₦43 million in February 2021, ₦37.3 million in July 2022, ₦44.6 million in October 2022, and ₦93.1 million in May 2023, among others. She testified that all transactions underwent verification and approval by Mrs. Emefiele before processing, often communicated through email, phone calls, and WhatsApp.
The prosecution presented documents supporting these claims, which were admitted into evidence without objection from the defense. Emefiele, who faces charges related to abuse of office and financial misconduct during his tenure at the CBN, has pleaded not guilty. The trial is set to continue on July 10, following procedural discussions in court.
Nigerian news analyst, Mahmud Jega, has shared his opinion on the recent airstrike carried out by the United States in Nigeria, stating that Nigerians should not blame President Bola Tinubu for the incident.
Jega made this statement during a recent interview, where he said he does not believe many people will hold the Tinubu administration responsible, as Donald Trump had issued threats against Nigeria long before Tinubu’s administration.
“No, I don’t think many people will blame the Tinubu administration for what is happening now because President Donald Trump, when he first made the threats, it was clearly not in coordination with the Tinubu administration or the government of Nigeria,” Jega said.
It has been reported that the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in the northwest region of Nigeria. The order was reportedly given by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
He added, “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared the holiday dates for the festive season.
Thursday, December 25 will be observed as Christmas Day, December 26 as Boxing Day, and Thursday, January 1 as New Year’s Day.
The declaration was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. He also added that Nigerians should celebrate the holidays in faith and pray for the nation.
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