The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has assumed jurisdiction to hear corruption allegations against former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, involving gratification, corrupt demands, and fraudulent receipt of property.
Delivering his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Rahman Oshodi held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had successfully established the court’s territorial jurisdiction to entertain counts 8 to 20 of the 26-count charge against Emefiele.
However, the court struck out counts 1 to 4, declaring them unconstitutional as they were not based on any existing Nigerian law.
Emefiele was arraigned by the EFCC on April 8, 2024, on a 26-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office and irregular allocation of $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
The charges include violations of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
Justice Oshodi clarified that while counts 1 to 4 involved allegations of abuse of office related to foreign exchange allocations without bids, these acts were not defined as offences under any written law.
Consequently, the court struck out these counts. On counts 8 to 26, the judge emphasized that the evidence presented by the EFCC established a sufficient territorial nexus to validate the court’s jurisdiction.
“The prosecution has established a sufficient territorial nexus to compel Emefiele to answer the charges,” Justice Oshodi ruled, dismissing the objection raised by Emefiele’s lawyers.
The judge clarified that his ruling was limited to jurisdictional matters and did not address the substantive allegations.
The trial has been adjourned to February 24 and 26, 2025, for continuation.