After spending at least 34 days at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, has finally been freed.
Sunday PUNCH learnt that Emefiele was released on Friday, December 22, 2023.
The spokesperson for the Kuje Correctional Centre, FCT, Adamu Duza, had said, “I can confirm that Emefiele has met his bail conditions, hence he has no reason to remain in our facility. He met his bail condition and was released past 2 pm yesterday (Friday).”
The Federal Capital Territory High Court had granted N300m bail to Emefiele, who is being prosecuted for alleged procurement fraud.
Justice Hamza Muazu granted the bail with two sureties in like sum.
The judge said the sureties must have Certificates of Occupancy and titles of properties within the Maitama District of Abuja.
He also ordered Emefiele to deposit all his travel documents with the court’s registrar, adding that he must remain within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The judge, however, ordered that Emefiele should remain in Kuje Correctional Centre till he meets the bail conditions.
While rejecting the objection by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to Emefiele’s bail application, Justice Muazu disagreed with the anti-graft agency that the ex-CBN governor was a flight risk and could jump bail, jeopardise investigation or threaten the security of the country if granted bail.
After granting the bail application, Justice Muazu adjourned till November 28 for the commencement of the trial.
Emefiele stood trial on six counts bordering on procurement fraud to the tune of N1.2bn.
Travails
Emefiele’s travails began when President Bola Tinubu suspended him as the apex bank chief on June 9, 2023.
A day later, the Department of State Services confirmed the arrest of Emefiele at exactly 14:28 WAT through their official X page.
After several legal back-and-forth by Emefiele’s counsel challenging his prolonged detention by the DSS, the secret police bowed to pressure on July 13, 2023, and announced that the suspended apex bank chief had been charged to court.
Emefiele was brought to a Lagos court by DSS operatives in a Hilux vehicle on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.
Appearing before Justice Oweibo, the former apex bank chief pleaded “not guilty” to the two counts of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition filed against him by the Federal Government.
Later in August, the DSS withdrew its charges against Emefiele.
The secret police freed the embattled ex-bank chief on October 26 just as the anti-graft commission detained him the same day.
The EFCC had, on several occasions, failed to produce Emefiele in court at the previous sitting on Monday.
Still, the anti-graft agency bowed to the order of the court and produced the former CBN chief court two days later for the hearing of his bail application.
Emefiele spent 151 days in the custody of security agencies from June 10 to November 8.
He was remanded on November 18 in the Kuje Correctional Centre until his release on Friday after spending 34 days.
