Emefiele Breaks Down In Tears As Arraignment For Fraud Stalled

Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was in tears on Thursday as the High court of the Federal Capital Territory adjourned his arraignment to August 23, 2023.

Gatekeepers News reports that the arraignment which was initially scheduled for Thursday was stalled due to the absence of some of the defendants joined in the charge.

Emefiele was charged alongside Sa’adatu Yaro, a female CBN employee, and her company, April1616 Investment Limited, on 20 charges bordering on procurement fraud, conspiracy and conferring corrupt advantages.

Gatekeepers News reports that the embattled CBN Governor was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms at a federal high court in Ikoyi on July 25.

Although the judge, Nicholas Oweibo, while granting him bail in the sum of N20 million, ordered that Emefiele be kept in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.

However, 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.

The secret police, thereafter, proceeded to file an application before a high court of the federal capital territory seeking to further detain Emefiele.

The application was struck out after it was withdrawn by the service over jurisdictional concerns.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 against the order granting bail to Emefiele.

On August 15, the federal government made an oral application to withdraw the charge of “illegal possession of firearms” against Emefiele.

On Thursday, the case was adjourned August 23, 2023.