Alleged Firearm Possession: Emefiele Moves To Halt Prosecution

The suspended governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has instituted a suit to halt his further prosecution over alleged illegal possession firearm, by the Federal Government.

In a move to prevent charges related to illegal firearm possession and ammunition, Emefiele is also requesting the Federal High Court in Lagos to discharge him from all offences preferred against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Through his legal team, headed by Joseph Daudu, SAN, Emefiele filed an application before the Court in Lagos, seeking the reliefs before Justice Nicholas Oweibo.

The latest action was a response to what Emefiele’s counsel has termed as “brazen disobedience” of court orders by the DSS.

In his application, Emefiele urged the court to put a stop to all ongoing proceedings related to the charges until the government complies with the court’s bail ruling issued on July 25, 2023.

He further requested an order to prohibit the Federal Government from receiving any legal indulgence from the courts unless it adheres to the bail conditions.

Emefiele’s legal team invoked Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and pertinent sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as well as the court’s inherent powers to file the application.

Victor Opara, SAN, a member of Emefiele’s defense team, confirmed that the application submitted on August 8, has been served to the Federal Government. The application aims to enforce court orders, portraying the court as an authoritative entity rather than a toothless bulldog.

Additionally, it has come to light that the Federal Government, in the previous week, filed an application requesting permission to appeal against the bail order granted to Emefiele. The request also sought to suspend the order for Emefiele’s remand in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, with a new order for remand under the DSS.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo has, however, scheduled a hearing for August 10 to address the application filed by the Federal Government.