A dramatic showdown was witnessed as operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) engaged in a tussle with officials from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, leading to the re-arrest of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The incident occurred at the premises of a Federal High Court in Lagos, immediately after Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted bail to the embattled apex bank chief.
Emefiele, who had been in DSS custody since his suspension by President Bola Tinubu on June 9, 2023, was admitted to bail in the sum of ₦20 million by the court. The judge also ordered that Emefiele be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre (controlled by the NCS) until the bail conditions were fulfilled.
However, tensions escalated when DSS operatives, who had brought Emefiele to court in a Hilux Pick Up van, appeared to be poised to take him back to their detention center after the court ruling. This led to an immediate protest from Emefiele's legal team, including lead counsel Joseph Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who raised an alarm about the secret police's intention to re-arrest their client.
Despite the court's ruling in favor of granting bail to Emefiele, a confrontation between DSS operatives and prison officials ensued when the latter attempted to take the suspended CBN governor into custody. The clash resulted in Emefiele's lawyers allowing the DSS to take custody of their client to avoid further escalation.
About Emefiele's trial
The trial, which centers around charges of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition, saw Emefiele pleading "not guilty" before Justice Oweibo. While Emefiele's lawyer sought bail on self-recogniance or liberal terms, the counsel for the Federal Government, Nkiru Jones-Nebo, opposed the application, citing concerns about the defendant's capacity to evade trial and intimidate witnesses due to his influential position.
Overruling the opposition, Justice Oweibo granted bail to Emefiele, with specific conditions, including a bail sum of ₦20 million and the deposit of his international passport to the court. The trial date has been scheduled for November 14, 2023.