‘I won’t interfere with case’ — Emefiele asks court to grant him bail

Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has asked a federal high court in Lagos to grant him bail.

Emefiele is seeking bail on self-recognisance pending the determination of the charge filed against him by the federal government.

On July 13, Peter Afunanya, spokesperson of the Department of State Services (DSS) confirmed that the agency has filed charges against Emefiele.

The DSS charged Emefiele with two counts bordering on alleged possession of firearms.

Although the case has been assigned to Nicholas Oweibo, a judge, Emefiele is yet to be arraigned.

The bail application, which is premised on nine grounds, was filed by a team of 10 lawyers led by Joseph Daudu.

Emefiele argued that the charges for which he was accused are bailable.

He said he has never been convicted of a crime and should enjoy the presumption of innocent until proven guilty, adding that he is not a flight risk.

Emefiele also said granting him bail would afford him adequate time to prepare his defence.

He added that since investigations have been concluded, there is no likelihood of interference on his part. 

The defendant pledged to show up for trial on time and expressed his willingness to offer responsible sureties required by the court. 

On June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and asked him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, deputy governor, operations directorate.

The day after, the DSS announced that Emefiele was in its custody for “some investigative reasons”.

Emefiele has been in DSS custody since June.