August 09, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has filed an application before a Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking leave to appeal against the order granting bail to the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
In the application filed on Aug. 3rd, by a Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Nkiru Jones-Nebo, the Government also asked the court to stay execution of the order remanding Emefiele in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service and to make an order remanding him instead in the custody of the DSS.
THEWILL reports that a vacation judge of the Federal High Court in Lagos, Justice Nicholas Oweibo, had, on Tuesday, July 25, admitted Emefiele to a N20m bail on a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and ordered that he be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
But the DSS rearrested the suspended apex bank chief after a scuffle with officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service at the premises of the Court in Lagos.
Justice Oweibo has fixed Thursday, Aug 10, to hear the application.
Meanwhile, the suspended apex bank chief has asked the Court to stop the Federal Government from further prosecuting him on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition or any other charge.
In an application filed on Tuesday, August 8, through his team of lawyers led by Joseph Daudu (SAN), Emefiele is seeking an order of the Court, Presided over by Justice Oweibo, to restrain the Federal Government, who is in “brazen disobedience” of the subsisting orders of the court granting him bail on July 25, 2023, from prosecuting him of all offences.
He also asked Justice Oweibo to stay further proceedings in the present charge until he exhausts all the remedies available to him in law to compel the government and the DSS to obey the order of the court admitting him to bail or remanding him in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre until he perfects his bail terms.
The application was filed pursuant to Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), relevant sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and under the inherent powers of the court.
A member of the defence team, Victor Opara (SAN), who confirmed the application, said it has also been served on the Federal Government.
According to Opara, the application seeks to invoke the jurisdiction of the court to enforce its orders so as not to be seen as a toothless bulldog or paper tiger.
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