A federal high court in Lagos has fixed August 15 to
entertain applications regarding the custody of Godwin Emefiele, suspended
governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Nicholas Oweibo, the presiding judge, on Thursday, adjourned
hearing of the applications filed by the federal government and counsels to
Emefiele.
BACKGROUND
On July 25, Emefiele was arraigned on a two-count charge
bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms at a federal high court in Ikoyi
and was granted bail in the sum of N20 million.
Oweibo, the judge, had ordered that Emefiele be kept in the
custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the fulfillment of
his bail conditions.
But the Department of State Services (DSS) insisted that
Emefiele must return to its custody — a development that led to the face-off
between the secret police and prison officials.
After the face-off, DSS rearrested Emefiele on the court
premises.
The secret service proceeded to file an application before a
high court of the federal capital territory seeking to further detain the
suspended CBN governor.
The application was struck out after it was withdrawn by the
service over jurisdictional concerns.
On August 3, the federal government also filed an
application before the federal high court in Lagos, seeking leave to appeal the
order granting bail to Emefiele.
In the application filed by Nkiru Jones-Nebo, a deputy
director of public prosecutions of the federation, the federal government also
sought a stay of execution of the order remanding Emefiele in the custody of
the NCoS.
The federal government wants the court to remand Emefiele in
the custody of the DSS.
In the application filed by Emefiele’s counsels, they asked
the court to restrain the federal government from further prosecuting their
client.
They said the federal government is in “brazen disobedience”
of the subsisting orders of the court granting Emefiele bail on July 25.
THURSDAY’S
PROCEEDINGS
During proceedings on Thursday, K.A. Fagbemi, the
prosecuting counsel, asked the court to hear the federal government’s application
seeking a stay of execution of the court order on Emefiele’s bail.
Fagbemi said the federal government filed its application
first and served it on the defence counsels on August 4.
Responding, Victor Opara, counsel to Emefiele, said priority
should not be given to the federal government based on time of filing since the
court order was disobeyed.
Opara argued that the applications of both parties should be
entertained on the same day.
He added that the federal government has nothing to lose
since the defendant is in its custody.
After listening to both arguments, the judge ruled that the
applications filed by both parties will be heard on August 15.
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