The Federal High Court in Lagos has set August 15 as the hearing date for a motion filed by Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, to stop his trial, which was begun by the Federal Government through the Department of State Services (DSS).
Simultaneously, the court will hear an application from the DSS to appeal the N20 million bail already granted to Emefiele by the court.
Presiding Justice Nicholas Oweibo has set this date to give the defence time to react to the prosecution’s extra counter-affidavit, which was sent to the defence just before the start of proceedings on Thursday.
While Justice Oweibo agreed that the DSS’s application was ready for consideration, he stressed the significance of giving Emefiele’s legal team the opportunity to respond.
In a recent Motion on Notice, Emefiele, who has been detained by the DSS since June 10, asks the court to reject the DSS’s illegal gun accusations and ensure his release.
Emefiele, who is represented by Joseph Daudu (SAN), claims that it is unconscionable for the DSS to continue pursuing him while disobeying the court’s ruling giving him bail.
“The complainant, having brazenly defied the court’s orders made on July 25, is in contempt of the court’s proceedings,” Daudu claimed. Until the complainant complies with the aforementioned court instructions, it cannot continue to legitimately pursue the case, nor will it be granted any right of audience in any court in Nigeria.”
Daudu has petitioned the court for an order “prohibiting the complainant from further prosecuting the instant charge or any other charge against the applicant or seeking any form of indulgence before the court, inclusive of the application to grant leave to appeal against the order granting the appellant bail and other ancillary orders.”
Furthermore, he has requested that the court issue “an order discharging the defendant or appellant from the instant charge, which cannot be lawfully prosecuted by the complainant, who is in flagrant violation of subsisting court orders made on July 25, 2023.”
