Former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele Granted Bail After 151 Days in Custody

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who had been in custody for 151 days, has been granted bail by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Justice Olukayode Adeiyi ruled that Emefiele had exceeded the legally stipulated time frame for detention without trial.

The former CBN governor must be released to his counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), who will produce him in court when the government decides to arraign him.

Emefiele is also required to deposit his travel documents with the court’s registrar until his arraignment.

The decision was made despite strong opposition from the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The judge based his decision on the fact that the government had completed its investigation into the allegations against Emefiele and had prepared charges against him as of August this year.

Justice Adeiyi stated that there must be an end to detention without trial.

The Federal Government and the AGF had objected to Emefiele’s bail request, arguing that he might interfere with his November 15 arraignment, without specifying how such interference might occur.

The EFCC argued that Emefiele had not spent three months in its custody and urged the court to deny the bail request.

Emefiele’s counsel refuted the government’s claims, emphasising that the allegation of potential interference was speculative and that his client had not been declared a flight risk.

The senior lawyer also noted that Emefiele had been investigated by a team of inter-ministerial investigators from the EFCC, police, and the Department of State Security Service (DSS), which jointly constituted government agencies.

Source: The SUN Newspaper