Former Nigeria's central bank chief remanded

A Nigerian court has remanded former central bank governor Godwin Emefiele in custody on charges of procurement fraud.

The court ordered the top banker to be detained in a prison in the capital Abuja on Friday, pending a bail hearing scheduled for Wednesday next week.

Emefiele pleaded not guilty to all 20 charges and applied for bail through his lawyers.

"The matter is hereby adjourned to Wednesday, November 22, for ruling on the bail application. Meanwhile, the defendant should be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the ruling on his bail," Justice Hamza Muazu said.

The main trial is set to start on November 28, the judge said. Last week, Emefiele was granted bail by a separate judge after successfully challenging five months in detention.

Emefiele, who has not commented publicly on the case, was suspended by President Bola Tinubu in June and was arrested a day later.

He resigned in August while in detention, paving the way for the appointment of new central bank governor Olayemi Cardoso in September.