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A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, was remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday.
This followed his arraignment for alleged abuse of office.
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Justice Rahman Oshodi issued the remand order after Emefiele and his co-defendant, Herry Omoile, pleaded not guilty to a 26-count charge brought against them by the EFCC, which centered on abuse of office.
Emefiele will remain in custody until Thursday when the judge will decide on his bail application. Meanwhile, Omoile was remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services.
Emefiele’s lawyer, Abdulakeem Ladi-Lawal, requested the court to grant his client bail on self-recognition or on the most lenient terms possible.
He proposed that the bail conditions granted by Justice Hamzat Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja should be applied, with Emefiele released to his lawyers pending the fulfillment of the bail terms.
The EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, did not oppose the bail application but urged the judge to impose conditions that would ensure the defendants’ appearance in court for trial.
The charges against the defendants include accepting gratification, receiving gifts through agents, corruption, fraudulent property receipts, and conferring corrupt advantages on associates, all contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act of 2000. The charges were filed on April 3 by the EFCC Prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
Emefiele is also facing prosecution by the EFCC at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over allegations of fraudulent financial transactions during his tenure in office.
