The Federal High Court situated in Lagos State has revoked the illegal possession of firearms charges against the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Godwin Emefiele by the Federal Government.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo had signed off on the order on Thursday, August 17 after Mohammed Abubakar, the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, in the Ministry of Justice, had applied to cancel the two-count charge.
Abubakar had depended on Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 to effect this.
J.B. Daodu, Emefiele’s counsel, had maintained that the prosecution could not take back the charge unless the federal government first absolves itself of its disobedience to the court’s previous July 25 order to grant Emefiele a 20 million Naira bail.
The Nation newspapers had reported that in Justice Oweibo’s ruling, the Federal Government’s application had been granted.
Judge Oweibo had condemned the Government’s conduct, saying:
“The conduct of the prosecution has revealed that it has no respect for the rule of law. What gain is there, for the file in the court’s docket to be kept (hidden) when the prosecution has blatantly disrespected to the court?”
“To that effect, this (firearms) charge is immediately struck out for lack of conscientious prosecution.”
