Why Emefiele Remains In Prison In Spite Of Bail

That embattled former Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, remains in prison custody 10 days after he was granted bail by a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is one puzzle that many Nigerians are finding difficult to unravel.

Fools have tried and wise men have failed trying to decipher why the former boss of the nation’s apex bank and his coterie of wealthy friends could not muster a paltry N300 million to get him out of the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre.

Could it be that the financial muscle of the former CBN chief renowned for dispensing gestures in billions of naira was overestimated? And if that were the case, what of his numerous friends and associates believed to have benefitted hugely from his alleged bouts of bonanza? Is it a case of him being abandoned by his friends at such critical moment?

Reliable sources told Sentry that Emefiele’s continued stay in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre was neither because he could not produce the sum required for his bail, nor the case of his friends failing to rise to the occasion, but a deliberate ploy to keep him in prison for reasons based purely on self-preservation.

The detainee and his closest associates are said to have weighed the options of plumping up N300 million to gain his freedom from the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre, only to be picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) whose custody would be much more hostile than his present abode.

The assumption is that the authorities somehow wish to keep the banker out of circulation for the time being. This is what’s driving the suspicion that EFCC would quickly grab him at the least opportunity.

A source said: “It is laughable for anyone to think that Emefiele cannot raise N300 million to secure his bail from Kuje Prison. The truth is that he feels that he is better off remaining in the prison than being kept in the custody of EFCC which would not be as friendly as where he is now.

“Besides, he is not yet a convict, so he would be treated as a VIP at the correctional centre. He would be able to receive guests, eat what he pleases, whereas, at EFCC, he will most likely be kept in solitary confinement.”

It’s a no-brainer therefore why the relatively attainable bail conditions haven’t been met.

The Nation