By our Reporter
The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed Tuesday (25 July) for the arraignment of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on the charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The State Security Service (SSS), which has been holding Mr Emefiele in custody since 10 June, had filed the charges on Thursday (13 July), the same day a judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja gave the agency a one-week ultimatum to either charge him in court or release him.
The SSS had held Mr Emefiele for over a month without charges until the 13 July ruling
The trial judge, Nicholas Oweibo, of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, fixed 25 July for arraignment after he was assigned the case.
It was learnt that one of Mr Emefiele’s lawyers, Victor Opara, a Senior Adocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the defence team had received the hearing notice for the arraignment.
Mr Emefiele’s defence team has been led by a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Joseph Daudu, a SAN, in the major cases that he has filed since his arrest.
In the newly filed case, the agency accused Mr Emefiele of possessing a single-barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without a licence, an offence said to be contrary to Section 4 of the Firearms Act, and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act.
In the second count, the SSS charged him with illegally possessing 23 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a licence. The offence is also said to be contrary to Section 8 of the Firearms Act and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(il) of the same Act.