FG files additional charges against Emefiele, requests that Lagos case be dropped.

The Federal Government re-charged suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele in Abuja on Tuesday, August 15.

After the day’s events, Mohammed Bakodo Abubakar, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federal Ministry of Justice, revealed this to the media.

20 new counts of charges, according to Abubakar, were submitted to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

Emefiele is accused of “conferring unlawful advantages” in one of the counts.

Prior to that, the Federal government asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss the “illegal possession of firearms” lawsuit it had brought against Godwin Emefiele.

The application was made orally by Abubakar, who told Nicholas Oweibo, the judge, that it was the outcome of additional research.

Emefiele’s attorney, Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), contested the application, claiming that it could not be considered because the government defied the court’s ruling granting Emefiele release.

The court, Oweibo, postponed making a decision on the application until Thursday, August 17, 2023.

Emefiele was granted bail in his alleged gun possession case by the Federal High Court in Lagos, according to ICIR on July 25.

Emefiele was freed by Oweibo on a N20 million bail bond with one similar-sized surety.

Two counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition were brought against the accused.

The Federal government claimed that Emefiele was a flight risk, but the judge dismissed this claim, stating that there was no supporting documentation.

prior assessment
On July 14, a High Court in Abuja invalidated the DSS’s custody, arrest, and questioning of Emefiele.

Emefiele was ordered to be released by the Bello Kawu-presiding court, which deemed his arrest and incarceration unlawful.

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Incorporated Trustees of the Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership, 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 were the respondents in Emefiele’s motion against his arrest and detention.

When handing down his ruling, Kawu ruled that the former CBN governor’s arrest, imprisonment, and questioning breached the ruling and instructions made by Judge M. A. Hassan in Case No. FCT/HC/GAR/CV/41/2022.

Additionally, the court issued an order prohibiting the security agencies, in particular the DSS, from interfering with his freedom of movement or retaliating in any other way.

Just 24 hours before, an Abuja High Court had ruled in favour of Emefiele’s release.