BREAKING: Court Rejects FG’s Objection, Takes Emefiele’s Bail Application

• The judge held that there was evidence that the government had been served
• Emefiele is standing trial on two counts that accuses him of possessing a single-barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without a licence on June 15 at Ikoyi.
• Dauda asked the court to end the oppression of his client by the Department of State Security, which arrested him, and hear the bail application

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was suspended after filing a bail application in connection with an alleged gun possession case. The Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed the Federal Government’s argument that it had not received a copy of the application.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo made a brief ruling on the matter and stated that there was proof that the government was served.

Joseph Dauda (SAN), one of Emefiele’s solicitors, filed the bail application.

Dauda requested that the court hold a hearing on the application for bail on self-recognizance, stating that his client had met all requirements for the application to be ready for hearing.

He noted further that the proof of service endorsed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) was in the court’s file.

Dauda also asked the court to end the oppression of his client by the Department of State Security (DSS) who arrested him and hear the bail application.

But the government’s lawyer, a Deputy Director of Prosecution, Nkiru Jones-Nebo, told the court that she had not set eyes on the application as there is currently no AGF in the country after the tenure of the last administration lapsed.

She said, “We have scrutinised even through the agency the defendant is been detained but we could not find any.”

“I have not set my eye on this application. I am yet to receive and after we receive it, we would want to respond to it.

“With due respect to the court, we are seeking a date to enable us to respond both to the issues of law and the facts contained in the application which I am just seeing this morning.”

The arguments prompted Justice Oweibo to write a ruling where he dismissed the government’s objections.

At the time of this report, the court is hearing the suspended CBN Governor’s bail application.