Emefiele To Appear in Court Tuesday Over Illegal Possession of Firearms

Suspended governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, will be arraign on Tuesday July 25 by a Federal High Court in Lagos over illegal possession of firearms, according to report published by TheCable.

Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), will be leading the defendant’s case while Nicholas Oweibo will serve as the presiding judge.

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

A day later, the Department of State Services (DSS) announced that Emefiele was in its custody for “some investigative reasons”.

The suspended CBN governor has been in DSS custody since his arrest.

On July 13, Peter Afunanya, spokesperson of the DSS, confirmed that the agency had filed charges against Emefiele.

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

In the first count, Emefiele is accused of possessing a single-barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without a licence, which is contrary to 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 in his possession 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a licence, which is contrary to Section 8 of the Firearms Act and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(il) of the same Act.

Emefiele had earlier filed an application before the court seeking bail on self-recognisance.