The Department of State Services (DSS) is about to release Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been instructed by the president to take up Emefiele’s case, according to sources at the ministry of justice who spoke with TheCable.
Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on June 9 and instructed to hand over his duties to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the deputy governor of the operations directorate at the time.
The DSS declared that Emefiele was under its arrest for “some investigative reasons” the next day.
He was given N20 million in bail after being charged on July 25 at a federal high court in Lagos on two counts related to the “illegal possession” of firearms.
Afterwards, on August 17, the federal government retracted the two-count charge.
But a new 20-count indictment was filed against him, alleging, among other things, that he conspired to commit procurement fraud.
Twice the arraignment has been postponed, and according to TheCable, Emefiele is pushing for a plea deal.
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Emefiele was obliged under the arrangement to “disgorge” certain assets and step down as governor of the CBN.
Emefiele’s resignation was formally confirmed by the CBN on September 22, following Olayemi Cardoso’s appointment as the apex bank’s substantive governor.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa was freed from DSS custody on Wednesday.
Insiders with knowledge of the development verified his release to TheCable, but they withheld any other details regarding the current situation.
Bawa was detained by the secret police not long after his “abuse of office”-related suspension as EFCC chair in June.
(TheCable)
