A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has dismissed four charges of alleged abuse of office brought against Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The charges were part of a larger case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) involving a $2.1 billion fraud allegation.
The decision, delivered by Justice Rahman Oshodi, followed Emefiele’s preliminary objection to the court’s jurisdiction over the 26-count charge.
Specifically, counts 1 to 4, which addressed the allocation of foreign exchange without a bidding process, were deemed invalid. Justice Oshodi stated that the alleged actions were not punishable under any written law.
“Allocation of foreign exchange without reason is not defined as an offense in any written law,” the judge ruled. He subsequently struck out the objection regarding these counts.
However, Justice Oshodi affirmed that the court had jurisdiction to hear the remaining charges. He referenced statutory and constitutional provisions, stating that the EFCC had presented sufficient evidence to establish territorial jurisdiction for counts 8 to 26.
The judge dismissed Emefiele’s broader application to challenge the court’s jurisdiction. The trial was adjourned to February 24 for continuation.
