Emefiele Remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre by Court
The High Court in the Federal Capital Territory has directed the remand of Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, to the Kuje Correctional Centre until the resolution of his bail request amid allegations of procurement fraud. The trial, which faced three previous delays, proceeded on Friday, with the Federal Government initially presenting 20 charges of procurement fraud amounting to N6.5 billion against the ex-CBN governor. Subsequently, the charges were reduced to six, totaling over N1 billion, and he was arraigned on Friday.
During the proceedings, Emefiele’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa SAN, sought bail for the accused, but the Federal Government’s representative, Rotimi Oyedepo, vehemently opposed granting bail to the former CBN governor. Justice Hamza Muazu, the presiding judge, explained that a bench ruling could not be immediately delivered due to the numerous legal references cited by both parties. He requested additional time to review the authorities and examine the exhibits provided by Emefiele in support of his bail application.
Consequently, Justice Muazu ordered Emefiele’s remand at the Kuje prison until a decision on his bail application, setting the case’s next dates for November 22 for the ruling on bail and November 28 for the commencement of the trial. This remand order follows a previous directive by Justice Olukayode Adeniyi on November 8, instructing that Emefiele be released to his legal representatives after spending 151 days in detention.
