Federal High Court in Lagos Dismisses Firearms Charge Against Former CBN Governor Emefiele, Citing Lack of Respect for Rule of Law by Federal Government.
In a significant legal development, the Federal High Court in Lagos has decided to dismiss the charge of illegal possession of firearms against the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele. The court accused the Federal Government of failing to uphold the rule of law.
The dismissal came after an application was made by the Federal Ministry of Justice to withdraw the charge. Justice Nicholas Oweibo, presiding over the case, granted the request to withdraw the charges based on Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. The application to withdraw the two-count charge was presented by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed Bakodo Abubakar.
However, the defense, led by Mr. Joseph Bodunrin Daudu SAN, argued against the withdrawal, contending that the prosecution should not be allowed to withdraw the charge until the government complies with the court’s order issued on July 25, 2023, which granted bail to Emefiele.
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In a brief ruling, Justice Oweibo criticized the prosecution’s behavior, asserting that it demonstrated a lack of respect for the rule of law. He questioned the purpose of retaining the case on the court’s docket when the prosecution had shown disregard for the court’s authority.
Justice Oweibo stated, “The conduct of the prosecution has shown that it doesn’t respect the rule of law. Of what benefit will it be to keep the file in the court’s docket when the prosecution has shown disrespectful to the court?
“To stop the embarrassment of the court and to keep its integrity intact, means to strike out this charge which has simply been abandoned for a lack of diligent prosecution.
“Accordingly this charge is hereby struck out for lack of diligent prosecution.”
This development marks a notable instance of the judiciary taking a stance on upholding the rule of law and emphasizes the importance of adherence to legal processes and procedures.