Arms: Emefiele slated for arraignment July 25

The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, is slated for arraignment over a controversial charge of possession of a pump action rifle on Tuesday.

Emefiele will be arraigned before the Lagos division of the Federal High Court on a two-count charge of alleged unlawful possession of a pump action rifle and 123 rounds of live cartridges.

The arraignment, which will be coming up before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, has attracted so much condemnation from members of the public and civil society organizations following the filing of charges of possession of a pump action rifle after several months of accusation and six weeks of detention.

Emefiele was arrested on June 10, shortly after President Bola Tinubu suspended him to pave the way for investigation over alleged offences bordering on economic and security sabotage.

The charge of illegal possession of firearms however is not part of his alleged offences leading to his suspension and arrest.

Justice M.A. Hassan of the FCT High Court, Abuja, had restrained the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting Emefiele but it still went ahead to arrest him and claimed it had fresh information in support of the allegations of terrorism against Emefiele only to charge him with possession of a pump action rifle.