THE COURT ADJOURNS THE DECISION ON THE BAIL APPLICATION AND REMANDS EMEFIELE IN KUJE PRISON.

Babatunji Wusu –

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been placed under detention at the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja by an order from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

The order was issued by presiding judge Justice Hamza Muazu on Friday, and the decision about the bail request submitted by the former head of CBN was postponed until November 22, 2023.

A six-count allegation related to procurement was brought against Emefiele by the Federal Government. Six counts totaling N1.6 billion were added to the original charge of 20 counts totaling N6.5 billion.

The updated charge sheet stated that Emefiele had unlawfully purchased 43 automobiles for N1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020, according to the Federal Government.

The single defendant in the new allegation, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is charged with giving a contract of N854 million for the purchase of 37 Toyota Hilux vehicles.

In the first count, Emefiele was charged with giving Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, an employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria, a corrupt advantage by designating April 1616 Investment Ltd., a business in which the aforementioned Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro is a director, as the sole recipient of a contract for the supply of 37 Toyota Hilux vehicles at a cost of N854,700,000. This was considered an offense.

In the second count, Emefiele was charged with abusing his position to give Yaro, a Central Bank of Nigeria employee, an unfair advantage by giving April 1616 Investment Ltd., a business owned by the aforementioned Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro Director, a contract for the supply of one Toyota Avalon at a cost of N99,900,000 exclusively. This was considered an offense.

The third count accused the former head of the CBN of giving a corrupt advantage in violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 by giving one Toyota Landcruiser V8 April 1616 Investment Ltd. a contract for its supply in 2019 at a cost of N73 million.

In the fourth count, Emefiele was charged with giving April 1616 Investment Ltd. a Toyota Landcruiser V8 worth N73,800,000 illegally.

The Federal Government also claimed that Emefiele had given Yaro a contract to deliver two 2020 Toyota Hilux Shell Specification Vehicles for N44,200,000.