Godwin Emefiele, the tainted former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was remanded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday by the Ikeja Special Offenses Court. This was after Emefiele entered a plea regarding allegations of abuse of power and the distribution of $4.5 billion, or N2.8 billion.
Before Judge Rahman Oshodi, Emefiele was arraigned on a new 26 counts alongside his co-defendant, Henry Isioma Omole. Emefiele entered a not guilty plea to the allegations against him.
The charge was dated April 3, 2024, and was identified as ID/23787c/2024.
But A. Labo-Lawal, the defendant’s attorney, begged the judge to give Emefiele bail on his own recognizance so he could keep the bond that the Abuja court had already granted him.
Additionally, he urged the court to award the second defendant the bail that Justice O. Sule-Hamzat had already granted him.
Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the prosecution’s attorney, did not object to the bail requests.
However, after hearing both sides’ arguments, Justice Oshodi remanded Emefiele to the EFCC’s custody and the second defendant to the Ikoyi Correctional Center. The case was then postponed till April 11 in order to decide on bail and start the trial.
