On Tuesday, August 15, the Federal Government re-charged suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele in Abuja.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Bakodo Abubakar, revealed this to press following the day’s events.
20 new counts of charges were filed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, according to Abubakar.
Emefiele is charged with “conferring unlawful advantages” according to one of the counts.
Earlier, the Federal government requested that the Federal High Court in Lagos dismiss the “illegal possession of firearms” prosecution against Godwin Emefiele.
Abubakar, who made the application orally, told Nicholas Oweibo that it was the outcome of more investigations.
Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the attorney for Emefiele, contested the application, contending that it could not be considered because the government defied the court’s decision granting Emefiele bail.
To make a decision on the application, Judge Oweibo postponed the decision until Thursday, August 17, 2023.
The Federal High Court in Lagos granted Emefiele bail in his alleged gun possession case, according to ICIR’s report from July 25.
Emefiele was freed by Oweibo on a bail bond of N20,000,000 with one surety in the same amount.
Two counts of unauthorised possession of firearms and ammunition were brought against the suspect at his or her arraignment.
The judge disregarded the Federal government’s claim that Emefiele posed a flight risk, stating that no supporting evidence had been provided.
Earlier judgement
On July 14, a High Court in Abuja ruled that Emefiele’s arrest, imprisonment, and questioning by the DSS were invalid.
Bello Kawu, the judge, ruled that Emefiele’s arrest and imprisonment were unlawful and issued an order for their release.
Emefiele had filed a motion challenging his detention and arrest, with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector-General of Police, the State Security Service (SSS), and the Central Bank of Nigeria listed as respondents.
In his ruling, Kawu stated that the former CBN governor’s arrest, custody, and questioning were in violation of a judge’s ruling and orders that were already in effect in Case No. FCT/HC/GAR/CV/41/2022.
The court also issued an order prohibiting the security agencies, in particular the DSS, from limiting his freedom of movement or taking any actions against him.
Only 24 hours had passed after Emefiele’s release had been ordered by another Abuja High Court.
