The Federal High Court in Abuja has set a deadline of January 25 for former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to appear in court and provide an explanation regarding the $53 million judgment debt resulting from the Paris Club refund. Justice Inyang Ekwo issued a ruling on Wednesday, stating that if Emefiele fails to appear in person, a warrant for his arrest will be issued. Emefiele's counsel, Audu Anuga (SAN), informed the court that all attempts to secure his client's appearance had been unsuccessful as he was still in custody.

The judgment debt of $70 million, owed by Linas International Limited and the Minister of Finance, was the subject of a garnishee proceeding initiated by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Joe Agi, to recover the funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Following the garnishee order absolute, the CBN had already paid Agi a portion of the debt, leaving a balance of $53 million.

Justice Ekwo had previously ordered Emefiele to appear before the court on multiple occasions regarding this matter. During the Wednesday proceedings, Emefiele's lawyer, Anuga, informed the judge that he had filed an affidavit on Monday to explain why an arrest warrant should not be issued against Emefiele. In support of Emefiele's case, a legal officer in the CBN's Legal Department, Jeremiah Utaan, stated in an affidavit that Emefiele had been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June 10 and therefore unable to appear in court.

The judge then asked the counsel for the judgment creditor, I.A. Nnana, if he had been served. Nnana confirmed that he had been served on Monday but requested time to respond. Justice Ekwo emphasized that court orders must be obeyed and insisted that Emefiele must appear before him. He adjourned the matter until January 25, allowing sufficient time for Emefiele to show cause as to why an arrest warrant should not be issued against him.

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