The Nigerian government will be arraigning the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, today on alleged economic sabotage-related offences.
Emefiele, whose trial was aborted about 24 hours ago, will be arraigned at a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
A notice for his trial before Justice Hamza Muazu indicates that the ex-CBN Governor will be docked along with one Ramalan Yaro, Daily Post reports.
A registrar with the court, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that Emefiele would be brought before the court this morning for his plea of guilty or not guilty to be taken.
Similarly, one of the lawyers in his defence team, Maxwell Opara, confirmed that the notice of arraignment had been served on the former CBN Governor for him to appear in court.
The former CBN governor will be produced in court by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Matthew Burkaa, who signed an undertaking to bring him for trial while being granted bail by Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi, also of the FCT High Court.
Emefiele’s travails started when President Bola Tinubu suspended him as the apex bank chief on June 9, 2023. A day after, the Department of State Services (DSS) confirmed that the embattled and suspended CBN chief was in its custody.
After several legal fireworks by Emefiele’s counsel challenging his prolonged detention by the DSS, the secret police bowed to pressure on July 13, 2023 and announced that the suspended apex bank chief had been charged to court.
Emefiele was brought to a Lagos court by DSS operatives in a hilux vehicle on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.
Appearing before Justice Oweibo, Emefiele, 61, pleaded “not guilty” to the two counts of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition filed against him by the Federal Government.
Later in August, the DSS withdrew its charges against Emefiele. The secret police freed the embattled ex-bank chief on October 26 just as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detained him the same day.
The EFCC had failed to produce Emefiele in court last week Monday but the anti-graft agency bowed to the order of the court and produced the former CBN chief court last week Wednesday for the hearing of his bail application.
The judge had granted Emefiele bail last week and with the ex-CBN chief expected to be in court today to take his plea.