Godwin Emefiele, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is being held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Less than an hour after he managed to escape the Department of State Services prison, Emefiele was apprehended by EFCC agents on Thursday night. He is presently being questioned at the anti-graft agency’s National Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
Our correspondent was informed of the development on Friday morning by a reliable source, who stated that Emefiele is being investigated by the EFCC for alleged improper behavior while he was the head of the apex bank.
“Yes, Emefiele is in our (EFCC) custody at the moment. He was taken into custody last night, less than an hour after being released by the DSS. He’s being questioned at the Headquarters right now as part of an investigation into allegations that he embezzled money while serving as the governor of CBN, among other things, the source said.
It was also learned that the EFCC might bring new charges against Mr. Emefiele.
When our correspondent tried to get in touch with Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, on Friday, he was unable to provide official confirmation.
According to Crediblenews, Emefiele was suspended from his position by President Bola Tinubu in June and was placed under the care of the Department of State Services.
He was thereafter asked to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, then deputy governor, operations directorate at the apex bank.
The DSS declared that Emefiele was under its custody for “some investigative reasons” the following day.
He was given N20 million in bail after being charged with two counts of “illegal possession” of firearms in a federal high court in Lagos on July 25.
The Federal Government later withdrew the name, and on August 17, the two-count charge was struck out.
But a new 20-count indictment was filed against him, alleging, among other things, that he conspired to commit procurement fraud.
Emefiele reportedly suggested a plea deal with the Federal Government, and the arraignment has been postponed twice.
Emefiele was obliged by the proposed agreement to “disgorge” certain assets and step down as governor of the CBN.
On September 22, though, after Olayemi Cardoso was named the apex bank’s substantive governor, Emefiele’s resignation was formally confirmed by the CBN.
