Suspended CBN Governor, Emefiele To Apear In Court Tuesday

Godwin Emefiele, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), will appear before the Lagos Circuit of the Federal High Court on Tuesday, July 25. 

Emfiele has been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) following allegations made against him. He is scheduled to present his case before Judge Nicholas Oweibo.

Recall that on June 10, DSS agents visited Emefiele's residence in Ikoyi, Lagos, a day after he was suspended as CBN governor by President Bola Tinubu. Emefiele has been in detention since his arrest, a move the State Security Department insists was authorized by the Chief Magistrates Court in Abuja.

However, a group of human rights lawyers, led by Maxwell Okpara and Ahmed Tijani, have criticized Emefiele’s continued detention and accuse the DSS of ignoring existing court judgments.

In response to the alleged contempt, the lawyers filed a notice of consequences of disobedience to a court order (Form 48) and a request to commit the alleged contemnor to prison (Form 49) at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

They also called for the dismissal of DSS Director General, Mr Yusuf Bichi, after the agency referred to them as “charge and bail lawyers” and sympathizers of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Twitter.

In a two-count charge (FHC/L/437/2023), the DSS has accused Emefiele of unlawfully possessing a single-barrel shotgun (Jojeff Magnum 8371) without a license and 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges), both violations of the Firearms Laws of the Federation 2004.