Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of a High Court in Abuja, on Thursday ordered the immediate and unconditional release of the Ex- CBN governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele from the EFCC custody.
The judge issued the order while delivering ruling in an exparte application, challenging the continued detention of the former CBN governor.
Justice Olakuyade, however, ordered the anti-graft agency in the alternative, to produce Emefiele in court on Monday, November 6.
The defendants listed in the suit marked FCT/HC/CV/040/2023/M/122/2023 are the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation, the EFCC and its chairman, Ola Olukoyede
Ruling on the application, Justice Adeniji said, “The third and fourth respondents are hereby ordered to unconditionally release the applicant from detention forthwith or in the alternative produce him in court on the date fixed for hearing of the substantive motion on notice for purposes of being admitted to bail by the court.”
“It is hereby further ordered that the motion on notice shall be heard on November 11, 2023. The instant order together with the Motion on Notice shall be served on the respondents on Thursday, November 2, 2023.”
Recall that the erstwhile CBN boss was first arrested and detained for over four months by the Department of State Service (DSS) over allegations bordering on fraud and abuse of office.
He was arrested in early June shortly after his suspension from office by President Bola Tinubu and has been in custody since then, despite a court order.He was subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos on alleged illegal possession of firearms and again before a High Court of the FCT, where he and two others, Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro and a company, April1616 Investment Limited were to be arraigned on a 20-count charge bordering on procurement abuse to the tune of N6.9billion.
The arraignment was stalled due to the absence of Yaro, who was said to be sick and the matter has been adjourned a few times.
However, the arraignment has been stalled until his recent transfer last week from the custody of the DSS to EFCC.
The continued detention prompted the instant suit and application for release before Justice Adeniyi.
