High court orders Emefiele's unconditional release from EFCC custody

Godwin Emefiele, the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was ordered to be released unconditionally and immediately from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday by Justice O. Adeniji of the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

After receiving a motion ex parte from Emefiele's legal team, the judge issued the order.

In the lawsuit titled FCT/HC/CV/040/2023/M/122/2023, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the EFCC, and its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, are named as defendants. 

Ruling on the application, Justice Adeniji said, “The third and fourth respondents are hereby ordered to unconditionally release the applicant from detention forthwith or in the alternative produce him in court on the date fixed for hearing of the substantive motion on notice for purposes of being admitted to bail by the court.”

“It is hereby further ordered that the motion on notice shall be heard on November 11, 2023. The instant order together with the Motion on Notice shall be served on the respondents on Thursday, November 2, 2023.”

According to The PUNCH, on October 27, just after Emefiele was freed from the Department of State Services, where he had been detained since June 10, the EFCC took him into custody.

The DSS selected the troubled former CBN helmsman in June, not long after President Bola Tinubu issued an order for his suspension.