Gdwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has taken legal action to halt the federal government from pursuing additional charges against him.
Currently facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) on allegations of “illegal possession of a firearm,” Emefiele has approached a federal high court in Lagos seeking an order that prevents any further legal proceedings.
In the application submitted by Joseph Daudu, Emefiele’s legal representative, the former CBN governor also seeks a court directive to absolve him of all charges laid against him.
Emefiele claims that the federal government’s actions constitute a “brazen disobedience” to previous court orders that granted him bail on July 25.
Emefiele’s application aims to safeguard the sanctity of the court, the rule of law, and democratic principles.
He asserts that the government and its agencies should be restricted from pursuing the case in any other court until they adhere to the bail ruling.
The ongoing legal saga began when Emefiele was arrested by the DSS in June and subsequently held in custody. On July 25, he was arraigned on a two-count charge involving the alleged illegal possession of firearms before a federal high court in Ikoyi.
He was granted bail in the amount of N20 million, with the condition that he remain in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) until the bail conditions were met.
However, a standoff emerged between the DSS and prison officials over Emefiele’s custody. Despite the court’s ruling, the DSS insisted on retaining custody of Emefiele, prompting further legal disputes. Following these events, the DSS re-arrested Emefiele on the court premises.
The DSS had previously sought to extend Emefiele’s detention by filing an application before a high court in the federal capital territory. However, this application was withdrawn due to jurisdictional concerns.
Additionally, the federal government submitted an application on August 3 before the federal high court in Lagos.
This application seeks permission to appeal against the order granting bail to Emefiele and requests a stay of execution on his custody at the NCoS. The federal government proposes that Emefiele be remanded in DSS custody instead.
The presiding judge, Nicholas Oweibo, has scheduled a hearing for Thursday to address these legal developments.
