The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday broke down in tears inside the courtroom of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, after his arraignment on a fresh 20-count charge was stalled.
The arraignment could not hold as the second defendant, Saadat Yaro, was absent.
Counsel to the Federal Government and Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, told Justice Hamza Muazu that Mrs. Saadat Yaro took ill in the morning, hence her absence.
Abubakar apologized to the court and applied for a new date for arraignment.
The request for adjournment was not opposed by Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, who stood for Emefiele.
Justice Muazu subsequently fixed August 23 for the arraignment.
Emefiele avoided the camera when he arrived at the court on Thursday.
When operatives of the secret police brought him to the court, journalists were not allowed to freely take pictures and capture him on camera as the defendant’s lawyers also shielded him.
Operatives of the Department of the State Services who brought Emefiele to court under heavy security returned him to their custody.
