Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has filed an application with a federal high court in Lagos, seeking to restrain the federal government from pursuing further prosecution against him. Emefiele is currently facing charges of “illegal possession of a firearm,” with the Department of State Services (DSS) leading the prosecution.
In addition to the request to halt further prosecution, Emefiele is also seeking the court’s order to clear him of all charges leveled against him. He contends that the federal government is in open defiance of existing court orders, which granted him bail on July 25.
Emefiele’s legal counsel, Joseph Daudu, submitted the application on Tuesday, aiming to safeguard the sanctity of the court’s authority and the principles of democracy. The application’s objective is to ensure that the government refrains from taking Emefiele to any other court unless it honors the conditions set forth in the bail ruling.
The suspended CBN Governor had been in DSS custody since his arrest in June. He was arraigned before a federal high court in Ikoyi on July 25, facing charges related to the alleged possession of firearms. He was granted bail in the sum of N20 million, with an order for his custody to be in the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) until his bail conditions were met.
However, a dispute emerged between the DSS and prison officials regarding Emefiele’s custody. The DSS insisted on retaining custody, leading to Emefiele’s re-arrest within the court premises after his initial release.
The DSS had previously sought to extend Emefiele’s detention through an application before a federal capital territory high court, which was later withdrawn. Additionally, on August 3, the federal government lodged an application before a federal high court in Lagos, aiming to appeal against Emefiele’s bail order and requesting a transfer of his custody from NCoS to DSS. The presiding judge is set to hear the application on Thursday.
