A Federal High Court in Abuja has denied the Department of State Services’ (DSS) request to extend the custody of suspended Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele by 14 days due to alleged fresh evidence it has discovered against him.
Justice Hamza Muazu rejected the motion, describing it as an abuse of the court process and identifying a lack of jurisdiction.
The application follows Mr Emefiele’s re-arrest by the DSS from the Federal High Court in Lagos, where the court ordered that he should be held in a correctional facility until his bail of 20 million naira was perfected.
i-News reported that officers of the DSS and officials from the correctional services got into a full blown face-off after court proceedings over the custody of Mr Emefiele.
The DSS has denounced the ugly incident and vowed that it will investigate the fight involving its officers and correctional service officials.
The embattled ex-CBN boss was accused of illegal possession of a firearm, a shotgun (Jojjef Magnum 8371) without a licence.
He denied the allegation when he appeared in court for the first since he was suspended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and detained by the DSS.