Lagos court okays withdrawal of firearm charge against Emefiele

The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted permission to the Federal Government to drop the charges of “illegal possession of firearm and possession” against Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Justice Nicholas Oweibo, in his verdict, stated that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had filed an application to withdraw the case based on Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

This section grants the authority to withdraw charges, and a written application was not necessary for this purpose.

Justice Oweibo said, “The prosecution has shown that they are not law abiding and have no respect for the court. The court cannot force them. What good will it be for the defendant who is in custody? Of what benefit will it be to keep the file in the court’s docket?

“I believe the proper thing is to allow them withdraw the charge. They can simply abandon it and the court will still have to strike it out for lack of diligent prosecution. The application to withdraw is hereby granted.”