There were indications that the Department of State Services had re-arrested the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, shortly after he was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emefiele was charged by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation under the Ministry of Justice.
He was arraigned at about 9:21 a.m. before Justice Nicholas Oweibo on a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety in like sum.
The court had adjourned the case until November 14 for trial and had ordered a remand of the defendant in the correctional service pending perfection of his bail.
After the case was adjourned, Emefiele remained in the courtroom for several hours.
It was gathered by newsmen who equally waited all the time on the court premises that the defendant may likely be re-arrested by the DSS, whose armed operatives were at the court.
When a senior officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) attempted to take the defendant into custody in line with the court’s directive, which ordered his remand pending the perfection of bail, the DSS resisted the move.
After a faceoff between men of the DSS and NCoS, the defendant was eventually intercepted by the DSS when he stepped out of the courtroom and was taken away in a police vehicle at about 3:15 p.m.
It was not clear why the former CBN governor was taken away by the DSS.