THE former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has approached a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to halt his continuous prosecution by the Federal Government-backed Directorate of State Security (DSS).
In a new application brought before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, Emefiele prays the court squashes all charges levelled against him by the DSS.
Emefiele was granted bail on July 25, 2023, but then rearrested by the DSS that same day.
According to his defence counsel, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, the action of the DSS were a “brazen disobedience” of the court order.
“Relying on Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), relevant sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and under the inherent powers of the court, Emefiele wants the court to stay further proceedings in the current charge until he exhausts all the remedies available to him in law to compel the government and the DSS to obey the order of the court admitting him to bail or remanding him in prison custody until he perfects his bail terms.
“In the application, he is seeking to invoke the jurisdiction of the court to enforce its orders, so as not to be seen “as a toothless bulldog or paper tiger.”
Emefiele reminded the court of the supremacy of the rule of law, explaining that his application was in line with that.
In a similar vein, the DSS has also filed complaints against the suspended CBN Boss.
The court is set to hear the application today.