A federal high court in Lagos has scheduled the arraignment of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for July 25.
The court has already issued hearing notices to the counsels involved in the case.
The defendant’s legal representation will be led by Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while Nicholas Oweibo will preside as the judge.
On June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and directed him to delegate his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, CBN’s deputy governor of operations.
Subsequently, the Department of State Services (DSS) disclosed that Emefiele was in their custody due to “investigative reasons.”
Since his arrest, Emefiele has remained in DSS custody.
On July 13, the DSS officially filed charges against Emefiele, accusing him of illegal possession of firearms.
The charges consist of two counts related to the alleged possession of firearms without a license.
In the first count, Emefiele is accused of possessing a single-barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without the required license, which is a violation of Section 4 of the Firearms Act, and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act.
In the second count, the suspended CBN governor is accused of having 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) in his possession without the necessary license, which is a breach of Section 8 of the Firearms Act and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(il) of the same Act.
Emefiele had previously filed a bail application with the court, seeking self-recognizance bail.
He argued that the charges against him are bailable offenses.
Emphasizing his clean record with no prior convictions, he asserted that the presumption of innocence should apply until proven guilty, and he posed no flight risk.
Furthermore, Emefiele stated that granting him bail would afford him ample time to prepare his defense and assured the court of his full cooperation, promising to attend all trial proceedings as required.
He also expressed willingness to provide responsible sureties as stipulated by the court.