DANIA ONOZURE shares her experience at the court
July 25, 2023, was a day of drama, intrigues, and a free-for-all at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
It was a horrific day as fierce-looking security agencies at the Federal High Court fought themselves over whose custody the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, would be.
There was fear, and panic in the air as the heavily armed and horrifying security officials were all around the court premises.
At around 7:25 am, Emefiele’s relatives, journalists, lawyers, security officials, and other stakeholders were already waiting in the small-sized courtroom waiting patiently for the arrival of the Judge who would preside over the case of Emefiele.
News had already gone around for some days that Emefiele would be in court on Tuesday.
Although courts are on vacation, a Judge, Justice Nicholas Oweibo, was scheduled to take the arraignment of Emefiele.
At past 8 am, everyone in the compound started moving into the small courtroom to grasp the court’s proceedings.
However, when the court registrar arrived, he created a rowdy scene as he chased out all the people in the court. She insisted that the court capacity would not take the crowd as there were a lot of lawyers who needed to sit.
Emeifiele had arrived at the court along with security operatives who ensured he was securely kept in one of their vehicles.
As soon as Justice Oweibo arrived at 9:48 am, the court proceeding started and the audience listened attentively to the outcome of the case.
Emefiele’s case was then called, and heavily armed DSS operatives drove a Hilux vehicle close to the entrance of the courtroom. This caught the attention of everyone outside, as we all tried to get a glimpse of Emefiele.
Clutching a big red bible close to his chest, frail-looking Emefiele was dragged out of the vehicle into the courtroom by the court registrar.
While holding on to his Bible as he entered the dock, the prosecution and defence lawyers announced their arrival.
When the charge was read to Emefiele, he was asked if he was guilty or not guilty, and the banker replied, “My Lord I am not guilty.”
But the crowd outside the courtroom including Emefiele’s relatives started murmuring in their indigenous language.
Emefiele took his plea, and his lead counsel, Joseph Daudu informed the court that a bail application had been filed.
Justice Oweibo then listened to the arguments of the Deputy Director of Prosecutions at the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mrs Nkiru Jones-Nebo, and the defence counsel, Daudu.
Daudu while applying for Emefiele’s bail had prayed the court to hear the banker’s application as he sought the bail on self-recognition, noting that his client had fulfilled all the conditions necessary to make the application ripe for hearing.
He noted that the proof of service endorsed by the AGF’s office was also in the court’s file.
Meanwhile, Dauda urged the court to end the oppression of his client by the Department of State Security.
“There should be an end to oppression,” he said.
But the government’s lawyer told Justice Oweibo that she had “not been given the bail application. “As I stand here, I have not set eyes on it.”
In a short ruling, the judge rejected the Federal Government’s claim that it had not received a copy of the bail application filed by Emefiele and that he was a flight risk.
Justice Oweibo revealed that there was evidence that the government was served.
The judge, therefore, granted Emefiele bail in the sum of N20m, with one surety in the like sum, and ordered that he should be remanded at the Ikoyi Prison, pending when he was able to perfect his bail conditions.
At 11: 08 am, the court was done with the case and rose.
Justice Oweibo had announced that Emefiele be remanded at the Ikoyi Prison, strangely, the DSS officials blocked the NCS from taking Emefiele into custody.
The weird-looking DSS officials who held guns laid siege and didn’t allow anyone to get close to the courtroom as they held Emefiele hostage for several hours.
At this point, the Correctional Centre officials called their commander who came personally to the court in a green pickup van with the inscription, ‘Corrections Squadron Commander.’
His arrival did not make much impact as the DSS prevented him from gaining entry into the courtroom.
Suddenly, a free-for-all fight between officials of the two agencies began and a Correctional senior ranking official was seriously manhandled by the DSS officials and his uniform torn.
As this was ongoing, litigants who were still in the court condemned the DSS’ actions saying that they presented Nigeria in a bad light for fighting shamefully in public over Emefiele’s custody.
After the fight, a senior female operative of DSS arrived at the court and had a brief chat with prison officials who later vacated the court without Emefiele.
As such, the defendant’s lawyers left the court premises.
However, the lead defense counsel, Daudu, who spoke to journalists said, the Court granted Emefiele bail.
He stated that they applied that pending when he would perfect the conditions of his bail, he should be moved from the custody of the DSS to the Nigeria Correctional Service. The Court in its discretion granted that he should be in a correctional centre until he completes the terms of his bail.
Daudu said, “No sooner that was done, we noticed movements from the men of the Department of State Security to take him back into their custody despite, the pending court order. We then drew the attention of the court to this, and the court was magnanimous to hear us.
“We told the court that in the interest of the rule of law, and democratic process in this country, the court should intervene. So, the Judge sent for the officer in charge of DSS who was armed to the teeth. The court asked me to repeat what I told him, and I did. However, his (DSS operative) response was that he was under instructions to secure the suspect, in other words, he was under the instructions of his boss, the Director General to bring him.”
In the same vein, Emefiele’s brother, George, condemned the action and said it was unfortunate this happened in Nigeria, a democratic nation that was blessed with people with integrity.
