Emmanuel OchayiJustice Olukayode Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to either produce or release the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, in court on November 8. This order follows a curious mix-up in the previous court proceedings.
The initial order was issued last Friday after hearing an ex parte motion filed by Emefiele’s counsel, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), marked M/122/2023. However, the commission failed to produce the ex-EFCC chairman in court on Monday, prompting confusion in the courtroom.
Farouk Abdullahi, counsel for the EFCC, expressed his bafflement over the order, stating, “The order was not understood. The applicant did not attach some documents to his affidavit.”
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In his presentation, Burkaa argued that his client had been in detention for 149 days, which added a dimension to the case. He, however, assured the court that the omitted documents would be provided before the next hearing date.
In response, the EFCC counsel insisted that Emefiele had only been in the commission’s custody for a mere seven days, raising questions about the accuracy of the detention period.
After careful consideration of their submissions, Justice Adeniyi reiterated his order for the release of the applicant or for the EFCC to produce him for bail on Wednesday.
He also directed Emefiele’s counsel to attach the omitted documents in support of their affidavit and serve all relevant parties. Consequently, the judge adjourned the matter until Wednesday.
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