The Department of State services (DSS) has rearrested suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The secret police took custody of Emefiele shortly after a face-off with officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NSC). Emefiele, who has been in DSS detention since June, was arraigned in court on Tuesday.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo had granted the suspended CBN governor N20 million bail.
The bail condition includes producing a surety with landed property within the jurisdiction of the court in Ikoyi, Lagos, depositing his passport and also producing a Civil servant not below level 16 to perfect bail.
The judge had ordered that Emefiele should be remanded in prison pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
But rather than release the top bank chief to prison officials, the DSS attempted to take him away, a move that was resisted.
During the scuffle that broke out, the uniform of a prison official was torn, revealing the singlet underneath.
The DSS operatives who were well armed outnumbered the prison officials, leading to the arrest of a top official of Ikoyi Prisons by the secret service operatives.
The official who was rough-handled and shuffled into the DSS vehicle was later released.
Daily Trust reports that Emefiele is standing trial on a two-counts charge bordering on possession of a single barrel shot gun, as well as possession of 123 rounds of live ammunition without licences.
However, he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
After his plea, defence counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN, who led four other senior advocates, informed the court of a bail application filed on behalf of the defendant.
Daudu told the court that same had been served on the prosecution, adding that there is a stamp of the office of the Attorney General as proof.
But the prosecutor, Mrs N.B Jones, objected to the bail application on the grounds that she had not been served with a copy of the application.
She informed the court that her office had been on the look out for a possible bail application of the defendant but had seen none.
But defence counsel told the court that the prosecutor had no excuse not to proceed today in response to the bail application as the same had been duly served in the prosecution’s office.
He argued that the office of the AGF is a creation of statute, and so cannot exist in a vacuum.
In a short ruling the court agreed with the submission of defence counsel, and urged him to move the defendant’s bail application.
Moving the application, defence counsel urged the court to admit the defendant to bail as he is not a flight risk being, a reputable former Governor of CBN.
He told the court that the defendant had been kept in custody for long and had lost so much weight and so, requires medical attention.
Defence also informed the court that the defendant will be available to stand trial , adding that assuming the prosecutor had produced a witness, the defence would have been ready to proceed.
He therefore, urged the court to grant the defendant bail.
In response, the prosecutor informed the court that she was opposed to the bail application of the defendant as he was a flight risk.
She told the court that the defendant had refused to submit his international passport which indicates such flight risk.
Besides, she also told the court that being a very influential citizen of Nigeria, the defendant could also interfere with the case and evidences intended to be led by prosecution.
She urged the court to refuse bail
In his ruling, Justice Oweibo agreed with the submission of the defence counsel on the grounds that the offence for which the defendant is charged is bailable.
The court held that bail can only be denied where any of the circumstances set out in section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, is established.
The court held that the prosecution has not furnished such circumstances before the court.
The court consequently, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N20 million with one surety in like sum.
The court adjourned the case until November 14 for trial.
