The Ikeja High Court has directed that the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, be remanded in the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) custody for abuse of office charges.
EFCC arraigned Emefiele and Henry Omole, his co-defendant, on Monday before Rahmon Oshodi, a judge at the Ikeja High Court.
Both defendants entered a not-guilty plea to the twenty-six charges levied against them.
The charge was marked ID/23787c/2024 and dated April 3, 2024.
Labo-Lawal, the defendant’s attorney, requested that the court permit Emefiele to be released on his own recognition and to maintain the bail conditions previously set by the Abuja court.
Furthermore, he appealed to the court to continue the bail for the second defendant that Justice Sule-Hamzat had initially granted.
Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the prosecution counsel, did not contest the bail applications.
However, after hearing from both lawyers, Justice Oshodi ordered that Emefiele be held in EFCC custody and the second defendant in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, postponing the case until April 11 to decide on the bail and begin the trial.
What you should know
Earlier today, the embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was arraigned at the Ikeja State High Court in Lagos over alleged abuse of office and allocation of billions of dollars.
- Emefiele, alongside his co-defendant, one Henry Isioma Omole, was charged on fresh 26 counts before Justice Rahman Oshodi.
- In the charge marked ID/23787c/2024 and dated April 3, 2024, the EFCC alleged that Emefiele abused his office between 2022 and 2023 in Lagos.
- The commission alleged that the former CBN governor “directed to be done in abuse of the authority of your office, as the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, an arbitrary act, to wit: allocating foreign exchange in the aggregate sum of $2,136,391,737.33 without bids, which act is prejudicial to the rights of Nigerians.”
