FG files 20 charges against Emefiele in Abuja

Central Bank of Nigeria CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele
Godwin Emefiele

The Federal Government has filed 20-count charges against the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.

Director of public prosecutions (DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice Mohammed Abubakar disclosed this on Tuesday after proceedings at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The government applied to withdraw the “illegal possession of firearms” case it filed against Emefiele in Lagos.

Abubakar told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that the oral application for withdrawal followed the result of further investigations.

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But defence counsel Joseph Daudu (SAN) opposed him, arguing that because the government was in disobedience of the court’s order granting Emefiele bail, its application should not be taken.

The judge, on July 25, admitted Emefiele to a N20 million bail on a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.

But the Department of State Services (DSS) rearrested the embattled former bank chief after fighting off correctional facility officials on the court’s premises.