Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, continues to suffer unending humiliation in the hands of Nigeria’s security agencies due to his alleged foray into the murky waters of presidential politics even as the governor of the apex bank
By Udoka Ekeleme, Abuja
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Kuje Custodial Centre, Abuja, Assistant Superintendent of Corrections (ASC) Samuel Duza, the Ooni of Ife and the Convener of the “Hope Alive Initiative for Africa”, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, visited the Centre to empathize with the inmates on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 in commemoration of his 8th- year anniversary on the throne.
The monarch was said to have taken the opportunity to have extensive chat with the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele who is being detained at the custodial Centre. The Ooni of Ife is among the number of influential citizens who have sympathy for Emefiele over his ordeal in the hands of Nigeria’s security agencies allegedly acting the script of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration against the embattled Emefiele.
Emefiele is facing charges relating to contract for the procurement of 43 vehicles valued at N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020. Since Tinubu became president last May, Emefiele had spent over four months in detention by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Service (DSS) respectively. In his latest ordeal, he is being held for not being able to meet his bail conditions as prescribed by the court. Emefiele will be spending the Christmas holiday in the gulag.
Emefiele is standing trial on a Six-Count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office preferred against him by the EFCC for which he was arraigned on November 17, 2023.
On November 22, the court admitted Emefiele to a N300 million bail with two sureties in like sum, each of whom must have a landed property worth N300 million in Abuja with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). The court also ordered that the sureties must deposit the original of their C of O with the court, while Emefiele must also deposit all his travel documents with the court. Although the three prosecution witnesses brought by EFCC exonerated Emefiele in their submissions, the deposed CBN governor failed to meet the bail conditions and was remanded till January 2024 when his case would come up for hearing.
Tentacle gathered that even by January next year, Emefiele may not meet the conditions because the Federal Government who is behind Emefiele’s ordeal is allegedly watching to see those who would come to stand bail for him. Such individuals may be caused to face investigation into how they acquired their landed property in Abuja. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike is alleged to be on the watch out for whoever would stick their necks to bail out Emefiele.
Currently, Emefiele is looking frail. He has lost a lot of weight while in detention, and his relatives are afraid anything can happen to him out of frustration if he is not let off the hook in time. Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigerian Intellectuals in the United States has challenged the international community to react to the plethora of human rights abuses and violations that charactrise the Tinubu administration. Its President, Dr Phillips Idris, described the EFCC handling of Emefiele case as fiendish, wicked and illegal.
