Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was granted permission by the Federal Capital Territory High Court to leave Abuja.
Emefiele requested that the terms of his bail be changed. His attorney, Mathew Bukka, SAN, represented him in this request. Emefiele was granted bail by Justice Hamza Muazu on November 22, 2023, with a N300 million bail fee and two sureties in equal amounts. The sureties needed to own land in the FCT’s Maitama District.
In addition, Emefiele was ordered by Justice Muazu to turn in all of his travel documents to the court and to remain within the court’s jurisdiction.
Bukka pleaded with the court to grant his client’s request during the most recent session, promising that if the travel restriction was removed, Emefiele would not violate the terms of his bail. Bukka underlined that Emefiele had no intention of avoiding trial given his standing and that the court already possessed the defendant’s travel documents.
Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the commission’s legal representative, did not object to the request. Oyedepo proposed that in addition to the court retaining Emefiele’s travel documents, the accused should submit a statement pledging to stay in Nigeria for the duration of the trial.
In delivering the ruling, the judge granted Emefiele’s application but specified that he must stay in the country until the conclusion of his trial. The judge stated, “The defendant’s application is hereby granted. He must remain in the country for the pendency of his trial.”
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