Suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, has opposed the bid the Federal Government to withdraw the two count charge of illegal possession of firearms filed against him by State Security Service, SSS.
At Tuesday, resumed hearing in Emefiele’s application seeking to stop FG from further prosecuting him and that of government, seeking a stay of the case, government in an oral application, said it wants to withdraw the charge.
But Emefiele though his lead counsel, Mr. Joseph Dauda, SAN, opposed the application, contending that FG was in disobedience of the court’s order granting him (Emefiele)s bail and, therefore, should not have its application entertained by the court.
Recall that trial judge, had on July 25, when Emefiele was first arraigned, granted him bail and ordered that he be remanded in prison custody, pending when he perfects his bail.
But instead of being remanded in prison custody as ordered by the court, Emefiele was rearrested by SSS.
Emefiele consequently filed a fresh application, praying the court to stop FG from further prosecuting him.
At the hearing in the matter on Tuesday, FG through the the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, made an oral application for withdrawal the charges against Emefiele.
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He said that the application was informed by emerging facts that needed further investigations.
Emefiele through his counsel, Daudu (SAN), opposed the application.
He contended that FG was in disobedience of the court’s order granting Emefiele’s bail and, therefore, should not have its application entertained by the court.
He said: “We have an application that the government has flouted the court’s order which says the respondent/ defendant should be remanded in prison custody.
“The court granted an order of substituted service to be published in three national dailies, and after that, the prosecution brought an application for stay of execution of the bail order,” he noted.
He added that it was “In the interest of justice, we need to prevent abuse of legal processes.
“I urge the court to reject the application and order the learned DPP to go on with today’s business,” he said.
Meanwhile, the court adjourned till August 17, to rule, after listening to arguments of parties.
Outside the court room, Abubakar said FG had filed a 20-count charge against Emefiele before an Abuja High Court.
