The Federal Government’s oral request to have a firearm charge against suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, dismissed before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos has been granted.
As previously reported by Naija News, the Nigerian government had charged the suspended CBN governor for illegally possessing guns.
However, the government said in its most recent application that the decision to drop the charges against Emefiele was influenced by newly discovered information and circumstances in the case, which calls for further examination.
In his decision on Thursday morning, Justice Oweibo ruled that there was no requirement for the application to be in writing and that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had the authority to withdraw the charge under Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The judge questioned what benefit there would be to the defense if the court refused to permit the withdrawal of the charge.
The prosecution has demonstrated that they don’t follow the law and don’t respect the court. They cannot be made by the court. What benefit will it have for the arrested defendant? What advantage would the file’s continued presence on the court’s docket provide?
“I think letting them drop the accusation is the correct course of action. The court will still have to dismiss it for lack of diligent prosecution even if they discontinue it. The request to withdraw is now approved,” Justice Oweibo was cited by Channels Television as saying.