Nigeria’s suspended bank chief has appeared in court more than a month after he was arrested by the country’s secret police.
Godwin Emefiele was charged with illegally owning a shotgun and ammunition at Tuesday’s appearance in Lagos, where he arrived clutching a huge Bible.
He denied the allegations.
The 61-year-old has been granted bail by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, who rejected the government’s claim that Mr Emefiele was a flight risk.
It marks a spectacular fall for a man that only recently flirted with the idea of becoming Nigeria’s president.
He was not successful in getting the nomination of the ruling party, but his decision to pursue it while he was still at the bank was heavily criticised and marked a low point in the institution’s history, critics said.
Then ahead of February’s tightly contested presidential election, Mr Emefiele spearheaded an unsuccessful attempt to redesign the local currency to prevent vote-buying.
Many Nigerians consider him an integral figure in the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari. It oversaw eight years of economic turmoil marked by two recessions – plus an 18-year-high inflation, currency devaluation, soaring unemployment and ballooning debts.
Source: BBC
