A Federal High Court in Lagos will on Thursday rule on an application for withdrawal of charges against the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
The application was made by the Federal Government.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo gave the date after arguments on the application by parties in the suit. Justice Oweibo had reserved a hearing of two pending applications today. One of the pending applications was filed by the Federal Government. It seeks to appeal the bail granted Emefiele by the court on July 25. The second application was filed by Emefiele. It seeks to stop his prosecution by the government on charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Today, However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, made an oral application for withdrawal of the charges against Emefiele. He said that the application was informed by emerging facts that needed further investigations. He urged the court to grant the application.
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Emefiele’s counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), however, opposed the application.
He argued that the government was in disobedience of the court’s order granting Emefiele’s bail and, therefore, should not have its application entertained by the court.
He added that the application for withdrawal of charges must be in writing.
The courts had on July 25, admitted Emefiele to N20 million bail after he was arraigned on a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. The court ordered his remand at the facility of the Nigeria Correctional Service pending perfection of the bail conditions. However, operatives of the State Security Service re-arrested the defendant in the court’s premises at the end of proceedings on the same day.
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