By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The embattled Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday met with President Muhammadu Buhari for the first time since his resumption of duty on January 16 after overseas trip.
The central bank chief however did not respond to enquiries by State House reporters on his deliberation with the president.
“The Central Bank Governor, you are welcome back. I am grateful you are well received”, Buhari was quoted to have told Emefiele during a meeting at the State House while observing a protocol, a meeting which had a delegation of the Arab Bank for Economic Development led by its Director General, Dr Sidi Ould Tah in attendance.
Emefiele later on Thursday evening returned to the State House for a personal meeting with the president.
The president’s comment may have laid to rest the call for Emefiele’s arrest, investigation and prosecution over allegations bordering on terrorism financing and corruption.
Weeks before he left the country in December, the DSS had sought a court order to arrest him. But the request was rejected by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The DSS asked the court to order the arrest of the CBN governor over alleged “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.”
On October 20, 2022, Justice Inyang Ekwo sitting in the Federal High Court in Abuja summoned Emefiele over the $53m judgment debt arising from the Paris Club refund.
The court ordered him to appear on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, as the hearing date.
However, Mr Emefiele filed an appeal against the FHC ruling saying that Justice Ekwo erred in law and occasioned a miscarriage of justice when he made an order compelling his attendance in court for the $53 million debt.
Wednesday’s proceedings could not go on as planned when the matter was called, making the court adjourned the case till March 20, 2023.
