Suspended CBN Governor’s Bail Application to be Heard on August 15: Further Prosecution at Stake
The bail application of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is set to be heard on August 15 by a federal high court in Lagos. The court will be considering various applications related to the custody of Emefiele, including one from the federal government seeking to appeal the bail granted to him.
Emefiele was arraigned on July 25 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and live ammunition. He was granted bail in the sum of N20 million pending the fulfillment of the bail conditions. However, the State Security Services (SSS) demanded that Emefiele be returned to their custody, resulting in a face-off between the SSS and prison officials.
The SSS disregarded the court order and rearrested Emefiele on the court premises. They subsequently filed an application in the Federal Capital Territory seeking to further detain him, but the application was withdrawn due to jurisdictional concerns.
On August 3, the federal government filed an application before the federal high court in Lagos. In the application, they sought leave to appeal against the bail granted to Emefiele and requested a stay of execution on the order remanding him to the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS). The government wants Emefiele to be remanded in the custody of the SSS instead.
Emefiele’s lawyer, on the other hand, requested that the court restrain the federal government from further prosecuting his client in relation to the charges. They argued that the federal government was brazenly disobeying the court’s orders by attempting to file additional charges against Emefiele.
During the court proceedings on Thursday, the prosecutor asked the court to prioritize the federal government’s application. However, Emefiele’s lawyer argued that both applications should be heard on the same day since the court order had already been disobeyed.
The judge ruled that both applications would be heard on August 15.
This latest development adds yet another twist to the legal battle surrounding Emefiele. As the suspended CBN Governor awaits the outcome of the bail application, the focus remains on the Federal High Court’s decision regarding his custody and the federal government’s pursuit of further prosecution.
