Court Remands Emefiele In Kuje Correctional Centre

Court has remanded Emefiele in the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Glamtush reports that the High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory has ordered that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of his bail request.

This online newspaper understands that Emefiele was arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement.

The original charge, which was 20 counts to the tune of N6.5 billion, has been reduced to six, to the tune of N1.6 billion. Emefiele is the only defendant in the new charge.

The former CBN governor appeared in court on Friday for an application for bail, pleading not guilty to the six-count charge after it was read to him.

Emefiele arrived just in time for the commencement of the day’s proceedings.

According to the amended charge sheet, the charges still border on procurement fraud. The Federal Government alleged that Emefiele illegally bought 43 vehicles between 2018 and 2020 worth N1.2 billion. He was also accused of awarding a contract for the procurement of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles valued at N854 million.

Count one read, “That you, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, male, adult, sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which the said Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro is a director and thereby committed an offence.”