DSS to arraign Emefiele in court July 25

DSS to arraign Emefiele in court July 25

A federal high court in Lagos has fixed July 25 for the arraignment of  suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

He will be arraigned over allegations of possession of firearms.

Already, the court has reportedly sent a notice of hearing to counsel involved in the case.

Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), will be leading the defendant’s case while Nicholas Oweibo will serve as the presiding judge.

On June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and asked him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, CBN deputy governor, operations directorate.

A day later, the Department of State Services (DSS) announced that Emefiele was in its custody for “some investigative reasons”.

The suspended CBN governor has been in DSS custody since his arrest.

On July 13, Peter Afunanya, spokesperson for the DSS, confirmed that the agency had filed charges against Emefiele.

The DSS charged him with two counts bordering on alleged possession of firearms.

In the first count, Emefiele is accused of possessing a single-barrel shotgun without a licence, which is contrary to Section 4 of the Firearms Act, and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act.

In the second count, Emefiele is accused of having in his possession 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a licence.

He had earlier filed an application before the court seeking bail.