Emefiele: I was forced to give $600,000 bribe for contract payment – Witness

In a gripping courtroom revelation, Victor Onyejiuwa, Managing Director of Resource Computer Limited, dropped a bombshell at the Lagos State Special Offences Court. Onyejiuwa testified that he was coerced into paying a staggering $600,000 bribe just to secure payment for a contract with the Central Bank of Nigeria, implicating former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.

Led by prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, Onyejiuwa detailed how his company, specializing in cutting-edge technology solutions, had provided crucial services to the CBN between 2014 and 2019. However, it was during a 2017 “enterprise storage and servers” contract that the alleged corruption unfolded.

The courtroom hung on Onyejiuwa’s every word as he recounted the pressure he faced to pay the hefty bribe. “I succumbed to his pressure,” he revealed, disclosing that he scraped together $400,000 and $200,000 to ensure the contract payment went through.

Shockwaves rippled through the trial as Onyejiuwa shed light on the staggering scale of the contract, reaching a colossal $1.2 billion amidst murky financial dealings. With the naira trading at N360/$1, smaller payments of N24 million and N17 million added to the web of alleged corruption.

As the trial adjourned until May 17, the nation waits with bated breath for further revelations in this gripping saga of bribery, fraud, and high-stakes corruption at the heart of Nigeria’s financial institutions.