An Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama has granted bail to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The presiding judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, while ruling on the bail application filed by Emefiele, ordered the federal government to release the former CBN boss to his lawyers.
Justice Adeniyi also ordered the lawyers to ensure that Emefiele is produced for arraignment whenever he is needed, adding that his international passport should be deposited before the court.
Justice Adeniyi held that Emefiele has been in detention longer than the law stipulates.
He declared that this was against the provision of sections 46 (2) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
The judge said: ”There must be an end to number of days in detention.
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”The applicant is hereby released on bail to his lawyers, Matthews Burkaa, SAN, Magaji Ibrahim, SAN, and J J Usman, SAN.
”They must bring him to court on November 15 for his arraignment.
“Secondly, he must deposit his travelling documents to the Registrar of the court.”
Emefiele was first detained in June, when he was removed as CBN Governor, by the Department of State Service (DSS) and later transferred to EFCC last week.
Emefiele, through his legal team, joined the Federal Government, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), EFCC chairman, and the anti-graft agency as respondents.
The former CBN Governor was scheduled to be arraigned by the Federal Government before Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court in Maitama on August 17 alongside two others, Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro and a company, April1616 Investment Limited.
They were to be arraigned on a 20-count charge bordering on procurement fraud to the tine of N6.9 billion, conferment of advantage and conspiracy.
The arraignment could, however, not hold due to the absence of Yaro, who was said to be sick and the matter was adjourned to August 23.
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