Furthermore, the court refused to keep Emefiele in custody based on the Federal Government’s claim of a fresh charge scheduled for November 15, considering it speculative and unsupported.
The court also noted discrepancies in a remand order presented by the government’s lawyer, signed by an Abuja Chief Magistrate with conflicting dates.
Justice Adeniyi pointed out that Emefiele had been held for over 151 days without trial, and he invoked section 298(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which grants the court authority to issue necessary orders, even in the presence of a remand order.
As a result, the court instructed that Emefiele should be released to a team of three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) representing him.
These lawyers are to ensure his appearance in court on November 15 for the planned arraignment or any other required court date.
Advertisement
Additionally, Emefiele was directed to surrender all his international documents to the most senior Registrar of the court, pending his arraignment.
The case is adjourned for further proceedings on November 17.