Contempt proceedings: Court orders substituted service on CBN Governor Emefiele

An FCT High Court, Kubwa, on Wednesday,  granted an application seeking substituted service on CBN Governor, Godwin  Emefiele, who is charged with alleged contempt in a case filed against him by one Godwin Emmanuel.
Justice Bello Kawu, in a ruling following Emmanuel’s Motion  exparte for substituted service, filled through his counsel, Maxwell Okpara, adjourned the matter until April 17 for hearing.
Okpara filed a motion dated March 9 and supported by a seven-paragraph affidavit with a written address.
He alleged that his motion became inevitable as all efforts made to serve the CBN Governor in person by the court’s ballif had proved abortive.
Okpara, on behalf of his client, Emmanuel, had filed a contempt proceeding against the governor on April 4 for disobeying  a court order to pay Emmanuel N52.5 million.
Okpara said judgement was given against Unity Bank to pay the said sum to Emmanuel by an FCT High Court, Gwagwalada sometime in June, 2015.
He however applied for a garnishee proceeding against CBN in 2017 which was granted and Unity Bank did not appeal against the judgment.
Okpara said the CBN governor’s failure to comply with the court’s order, necessitated the filing of a contempt charge against him.
He said if the CBN Governor fails to obey the garnishee order made absolute by the honourable court , he may be guilty of contempt of court and liable to be committed  to prison.