By Ken Afor
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled in favor of Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and has ordered the federal government to pay him a sum of N100 million.
This decision was made due to the violation of Emefiele’s right to personal liberty.
Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, in a recent ruling, has deemed Emefiele’s extended detention without trial as a clear infringement upon his fundamental rights.
Additionally, the court has issued an order restraining the federal government and its agents from re-arresting or detaining Emefiele without proper authorization from the court.
The former CBN governor filed a fundamental human rights suit and received a judgment regarding his extended detention in the custody of the Department of State Services.
Emefiele requested the court to order the respondents to compensate him with N1 billion in damages and to prohibit any future arrests or detentions.
The former CBN governor was apprehended on June 10, 2023, shortly after President Bola Tinubu suspended him.
He was, however released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja on December 23, 2023.
It would be recalled that Emefiele’s troubles began back in June when he was suspended from his role as the head of the central bank shortly after President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration.
Subsequently, he was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on charges of gross misconduct during his tenure and involvement in terrorism financing.
Additionally, Emefiele faced charges of illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
Although the criminal charges against the former apex bank chief were dropped, on November 18, Emefiele faced new charges related to alleged procurement fraud and reported misuse of his authority to benefit Sa’adatu Yaro, a CBN employee.
These charges were specifically linked to an alleged contract for the purchase of 43 vehicles valued at N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020.
During his period in custody at Kuje, Emefiele was instructed to surrender all his travel documents to the court registrar and remain within the jurisdiction of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Currently under investigation, Emefiele has been accused of misappropriating billions of naira and engaging in various financial misconducts. These allegations have been brought forth by Special Investigator Jim Obazee, who has been conducting a four-month probe into the Central Bank of Nigeria.
