Court fixes date for hearing on Emefiele’s Detention Trial

The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed the 15th of August for the hearing of applications related to the custody of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The decision was made by presiding judge Nicholas Oweibo on Thursday, marking the latest development in the ongoing legal battle surrounding Emefiele’s custody.

Emefiele had been arraigned on the 25th of July on charges of “illegal possession” of firearms in a federal high court in Ikoyi. He was granted bail in the amount of N20 million. However, a dispute arose over where Emefiele should be held during his bail period.

The judge ordered his custody with the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), but the Department of State Services (DSS) insisted on retaining him in their custody.

The disagreement escalated, leading to a confrontation between DSS and prison officials, resulting in Emefiele’s rearrest within the court premises.

The DSS then sought to prolong his detention through an application before a high court of the federal capital territory, which was subsequently withdrawn.

The Federal Government, not relenting, filed an application on August 3rd before the federal high court in Lagos.

In the application, they sought permission to appeal the bail order and requested a stay of execution on the order remanding Emefiele with the NCoS. They aimed to have Emefiele remain in DSS custody.

Emefiele’s legal team, on the other hand, submitted an application urging the court to restrain the Federal Government from pursuing further charges against their client.

They argued that the government’s actions were in “brazen disobedience” of the court’s earlier orders.

During the proceedings on Thursday, K.A. Fagbemi, the prosecuting counsel, urged the court to prioritize the federal government’s application for a stay of execution. Fagbemi stated that their application had been filed and served on the defense team on August 4th.

In response, Victor Opara, counsel for Emefiele, contended that both applications should be considered simultaneously and argued that the federal government should not be given priority due to its non-compliance with prior court orders.

Taking into account both sides’ arguments, the judge ruled that the applications from both parties will be addressed on August 15th.