Just in: FG slams 20 fresh charges on Emefiele in FCT court, to withdraw Lagos arms case

There appears to be more troubles for the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, as the Federal Government on Tuesday applied to withdraw the “illegal possession of firearms” case against him at a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Also speedily, the government has filed fresh charges of 20 counts against Emefiele at the Federal Capital Territory High Court.

In one of the counts, Persecondnews gathered, FG is accusing Emefiele of “conferring unlawful advantages”.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Mohammed Bakodo Abubakar told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that the application followed the result of further investigations.

He, however, made the application orally.

But Emefiele’s counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN) opposed the application arguing that because the government was in disobedience of the court’s order granting Emefiele bail, its application could and should not be taken.

Persecondnews recalls that the judge had on July 25 admitted Emefiele to a N20 million bail in a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos, pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions.

But the DSS operatives rearrested Emefiele amid a fracas with prison warders in the court’s premises resulting in a physical assault of a senior prison official, who had resisted the taking away of Emefiele into the DSS custody.

Confirming the filing of the fresh charges in an interview with court reporters on Tuesday in Abuja after the day’s proceedings, the DPP, Mr Abubakar said: “Fresh charges of 20 counts have been filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

More details shortly…