Court Grants Emefiele Bail

By Garry Ochigbo

High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, granted bail to the detained Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele

The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, ordered that he should be released to his lawyers.

The judge held that there must be an end to detention without trial stressing that it was the refusal of the EFCC, to comply with the order of the court made on November 2, that led to the ruling.

The court held that it could not allow Emefiele to remain in custody owing to claim of the Federal Government that he would on November 15, be arraigned on a fresh charge.

It held that the claim was speculative as there was nothing to establish that the planned arraignment would hold as scheduled.

More so, the court noted that a purported remand order that the FG’s lawyer tendered before it, which was signed by an Abuja Chief Magistrate, bore conflicting dates.

He held that section 298(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, empowered the court to make necessary orders, even when there is a remand order against an Applicant.

Consequently, the court directed that Emefiele should be released to a team of three Senior Advocates of Nigeria, that represented him in the matter.

It held that the lawyers should produce him in court on November 15 for his planned arraignment or at any other date that he is required to appear in court.

Justice Adeniyi directed Emefiele to surrender all his international documents to the most senior Registrar of the court, pending his arraignment.

It subsequently adjourned further proceedings in the matter till November 17.

The ruling followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit that the erstwhile CBN boss, who has been in detention for about five months, filed through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Matthew Burkaa.

The Federal Government had in opposition to Emefiele’s request for bail, notified the court that he would on November 15, be arraigned on a fresh charge.

Edited By Grace Namiji