Only Grants Limited Access to Emefiele – Lawyer Alleges

A report has emerged that the Department of State Security (DSS) has only granted permission for limited access to lawyers representing the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

Raye24reporters gathered that the information was given by one of Emefiele’s lawyers, Victor Okpara (SAN), on Thursday at the premises of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

This platform understands that a fresh legal battle for the lawful custody of Emefiele began today, as the DSS insists on keeping him in their custody.

Earlier, the platform reported that the 15th of August had been fixed by a federal high court in Lagos to hear applications regarding the custody of Emefiele.

The presiding judge, Nicholas Oweibo, on Thursday, adjourned the hearing of the applications filed by the federal government and counsels to Emefiele.

Emefiele, on the 25th of July, was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms at a federal high court in Ikoyi and was granted bail in the sum of N20 million.

The Judge, in his ruling, ordered that Emefiele be kept in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions.

However, the Department of State Services (DSS) insisted that Emefiele must return to its custody.

The development led to a face-off between the secret police and prison officials. After the face-off, DSS rearrested Emefiele on the court premises.

Secret Service applied to a high court of the federal capital territory seeking to detain Emefiele further.

The application was struck out after it was withdrawn by the service over jurisdictional concerns.

The Federal Government, on the 3rd of August, applied to the federal high court in Lagos, seeking leave to appeal the order granting bail to Emefiele.

Meanwhile, Okpara, one of Emefiele’s lawyers, told pressmen that he doesn’t know where precisely the DSS is holding his client.