President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed Godwin Emefiele, the embattled Central Bank Governor (CBN), back from his annual leave.
The Nigerian president welcomed the apex bank chief back to the country after a visit to the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) with a delegation from the Arab Bank for Economic Development led by its Director General, Dr Sidi Ould Tah.
While adhering to the protocol before making his remarks, Buhari expressed gratitude for the warm welcome he received upon his return to the country at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport in Abuja.
He said;
The Central Bank Governor, you are welcome back. I am grateful you are well received.
Hours later, the President met privately with the CBN chairman. Emefiele declined to speak with State House correspondents about the issues discussed with the President following the meeting.
This is Emefiele’s first meeting with President Obama since returning to duty on January 16.
Emefiele fled the country in December after an investigation into several allegations against him, including corruption and terror financing.
The Department of State Services (DSS) sought a court order to arrest Emefiele weeks before his trip abroad, but the request was denied by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The secret police had requested that the CBN governor be arrested for alleged “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities, and economic crimes of national security dimension.”
On October 20, 2022, Emefiele was summoned by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja for the $53 million judgment debt arising from the Paris Club refund.
The court ordered him to appear on the hearing date of Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
However, Emefiele filed an appeal against the FHC ruling, claiming that Justice Ekwo erred in law and caused a miscarriage of justice by ordering him to appear in court for the $53 million debt.