Suspended Nigerian Central Bank Governor to Face Court Trial Over Firearms Possession

The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, is scheduled to appear before the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on July 25th. The embattled CBN boss has been under the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and will be entering his plea before Justice Nicholas Oweibo in response to allegations leveled against him by the DSS.

The events leading up to this court appearance trace back to June 10th when DSS operatives stormed Emefiele’s Ikoyi residence in Lagos, a day after he was suspended as the CBN governor by President Bola Tinubu. Since then, he has been in custody, with the DSS justifying his detention based on the order of an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court.

However, a consortium of human rights lawyers, led by Mr. Maxwell Okpara and Ahmed Tijani, has challenged Emefiele’s prolonged detention, alleging that the DSS is disregarding existing court judgments. This group of legal practitioners has initiated a contempt action against the Director General of the DSS, Mr. Yusuf Bichi, who is accused of defying court orders.

The DSS has filed a two-count charge against Emefiele, accusing him of possessing a single barrel shotgun (Jojeff Magnum 8371) without a license, which is an offense under the Firearms Laws of the Federation 2004. Additionally, he is accused of possessing 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a license. The security agency claims that these items were discovered during a search of Emefiele’s residence at No.3B Iru Close, Ikoyi, Lagos.

As the date of the court trial approaches, the nation awaits the proceedings with bated breath, as the outcome could have significant implications for both the accused and the nation’s financial sector.