Updated: Tinubu Govt Seeks to Withdraw Major Suit Against Emefiele, Files Fresh 20 Charges
- The federal government of Nigeria has applied to withdraw the “illegal possession of firearms” case it filed against the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele
- The application followed the result of further investigations, according to the prosecution team
- Emefiele is still in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his first arrest on Saturday, June 10, 2023
Ikoyi, Lagos state - The federal government is seeking to withdraw the charge of illegal possession of firearms filed against Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
On Tuesday, August 15, the prosecution approached the Federal High Court in Ikoyi with an oral application to withdraw the charge and filed 20 new ones. A report by The Cable noted this development.
Source: Getty Images
Fresh update on Emefiele - DSS imbroglio
Recall that on Tuesday, July 25, Emefiele was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession of firearms” at a federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
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However, the Department of State Services (DSS) rearrested him after a clash with prison officials.
Daily Trust reported that on Tuesday, August 15, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Bakodo Abubakar, told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that the fresh application followed the result of further investigations.
Speaking with newsmen after the day’s proceedings, Abubakar stated that the fresh charges were filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court, Abuja.
It is understood that one of the counts accuses Emefiele of “conferring unlawful advantages”.
Emefiele files suit against FG
In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that Emefiele filed a fresh application seeking to stop the federal government from prosecuting him.
This development was confirmed on Thursday, August 10.
Tinubu under fire over Emefiele, Bawa's detention
Legit.ng also reported that popular constitutional lawyer Festus Ogun, on Monday, August 7, criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over “the mindless, illegal and continuous detention” of Emefiele.
Although Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos, admitted Emefiele to bail in the sum of N20 million in July, he was picked up almost immediately by the DSS.
Ogun also knocked President Tinubu for his government's treatment of Abdulrasheed Bawa, who served as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from February 24, 2021, to June 14, 2023, when he was suspended by President Tinubu over allegations of corruption.
Source: Legit.ng
