A federal high court in Lagos has scheduled the arraignment of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for July 25. Hearing notices have been sent to the counsels involved in the matter.
Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), will lead the defendant’s case, while Nicholas Oweibo will be the presiding judge.
On June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and directed him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the CBN deputy governor in charge of the operations directorate. The next day, the Department of State Services (DSS) announced that Emefiele was in its custody for “some investigative reasons,” and he has been detained since then.
On July 13, the DSS confirmed that it had filed charges against Emefiele. He is facing two counts related to alleged possession of firearms. The first count accuses him of possessing a single-barrel shotgun without a license, contrary to Section 4 of the Firearms Act, and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act. In the second count, he is accused of having 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a license, which is contrary to Section 8 of the Firearms Act and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(il) of the same Act.
Emefiele had previously filed an application seeking bail on self-recognizance. He argued that the charges are bailable, as he has never been convicted of a crime and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. He also asserted that he is not a flight risk and that granting him bail would allow him sufficient time to prepare his defense. He assured the court that he would show up for trial on time and provide the responsible sureties required.