Godwin Emefiele: Wetin law tok about illegal possession of firearms FG sama suspended Central Bank [CBN] governor

No be tori again say authorities for Nigeria don charge di suspended Central Bank govnor Godwin Emefiele go court.

Nigeria secret police, di Department of State Services (DSS) bin make di announcement about charging di suspended Central Bank of Nigeria oga go court on Thursday.

DSS charge am go court afta Justice Hamza Mu'azu of di Federal Capital Territory High Court bin order di secret service to charge Godwin Emefiele to court within one week or make dem release am.

Peter Afunanya, tok-tok pesin for DSS for statement wey e release at dat time no tok wetin dem charge di former CBN oga for.

Meanwhile, on Saturday tori come out say Nigeria federal goment carry Godwin Emefiele go court on two counts of possession of firearms.

Court document wey dey circulate wey BBC Pidgin neva verify show say di federal goment accuse Emefiele say im allegedly get single-barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) wey no get licence.

Di charges against Emefiele

Wen di DSS arrest di former CBN oga for June for Lagos Southwest Nigeria, dem carry am go Abuja Nigeria Federal Capital Territory.

Video of operatives of DSS arrival for Lagos inside white pick up truck wit Emefiele circulate for social media. Di few seconds video end afta di former CBN oga waka enta inside aircraft wey be like private jet - wey carry am go Abuja.

However, di charge sheet show say na for Federal High court Lagos goment file di charges.

Di charges against am na;

One: "Say you, Godwin Emefiele, Male, of No. 8 Colorado Street Maitama Abuja, on or about di 15th of June 2023, for No. 3b Iru Close, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local goment Lagos State, within di jurisdiction of dis Honourable Court, get in your possession one (1) Single Barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without a licence.

Two: "Say you, Godwin Emefiele, Male, of No. 8 Colorado Street Maitama Abuja, on or about June 15, 2023, for No. 3b Iru Close, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local goment Lagos State, within di jurisdiction of dis Honourable Court get in your possession One Hundred and Twenty-Three (123) Rounds of live ammunition (Cartridges) without a licence.

E no clear whether Emefiele don take plea on top dis charges.

Wetin di law tok about illegal possession of firearms

Nigeria like many oda kontris get law wey dey guide sale, buying and possession of firearms.

Dis one dey inside di Firearms Act of 2004.

For inside di charge di federal goment claim say oga Emefiele commit offence contrary to Section 4 of di Firearms Act, Cap. F28 Laws of di Federation 2004, and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act.

Dem also claim say im violate to Section 8 of di Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of di Federation 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(il) of di same Act.

Section 4 of di Act wey address 'personal firearms' say "No person go get for im possession or under im control any firearm of one of di categories specified in Part II of di Schedule to dis Act (in dis Act referred to as a "personal firearm") except in accordance wit a licence granted in respect thereof by di Inspector-General of Police, wey di licence fit dey granted or refused in accordance wit principles decided upon by di President."

For section of 27 of di Act wey address 'penalties', di punishment for anybody wey dey guilty of violating section 4 and 8 of di law go chop five years imprisonment.

Emefiele suspension and new naira note controversy

According to one statement from di office of di Secretary of the Government of the Federation, di suspension come sake of di ongoing investigation of im office and plan dem get to reform Nigeria financial sector.

Emefiele bin don dey in di eye of di storm for months now afta di 'new naira note policy' dem launch just before di general elections for February cause kasala and lead to economic hardship for citizens as a result of naira scarcity.

CBN bin roll out a policy wey introduce new naira notes of N1000, N500 and N200 in a bid to take out di old currency in those values out of circulation. But di plan no go smoothly.

In defence of di policy den, Emefiele bin say CBN dey face problem wit di management of di current series of banknotes wey dey circulation, especially di ones wey dey outside di banking system for Nigeria.

E say currency management na key legal function of di bank, wey dey for Section 2 (b) of di CBN Act 2007.

Emefiele say one of di challenges dem dey face na say members of di public dey hoard banknotes.

E say data don show say ova 80 percent of di naira note wey dey for circulation dey outside di vaults of commercial banks.

Anoda challenge na say dirty and unfit banknotes dey for circulation and dis one dey give CBN bad image and e dey increase risk of financial instability.

CBN also tok say di currency wey dey for circulation dey increase risk of fake notes.

"For recent years, di CBN don record significantly higher rates of counterfeit especially for di higher denomination of ₦500 and ₦1000 banknotes," Emefiele tok.

E say according to global best practice, central banks suppose dey redesign, produce and circulate new currency every 5-8 years, but CBN neva redesign di naira for di past 20 years.

But govnors, politicians and many odas bin criticise di policy and timeframe of implementation dat time sotay di mata land court wen some govnors wey Kaduna state Govnor den, Nasir El-Rufai lead take am to Supreme Court.

Supreme Court bin later rule say make everybody maintain status quo.

Afta plenti silence and dragging leg, Former President Muhammadu Buhari later tok say make di old and new naira notes flow togeda.

Emefiele bin don serve as governor of Nigeria Central Bank since June 2014.