(Bloomberg) -- A Nigerian court ordered the state to either charge the nation’s suspended central bank governor within a week, or free him on bail, his lawyer Emeka Obegolu said.

The ruling was delivered Thursday by a court in the capital, Abuja, where Godwin Emefiele had sought conditional release after his arrest by the secret police more than a month ago.

President Bola Tinubu removed Emefiele as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on June 9, less than two weeks after being inaugurated as head of state. The State Security Service detained Emefiele in the early hours of the following morning at his residence in the commercial hub of Lagos. 

Read: Nigeria Police Oppose Suspended Central Bank Head’s Bail Bid

The SSS – which is similar to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation — is probing allegations including whether Emefiele breached national security rules, committed economic sabotage and misappropriated public funds, the agency said in an affidavit filed on June 20. 

A spokesman for the SSS didn’t respond to calls and messages seeking comment on whether the agency intends to comply with the judgment. Emefiele “will be immediately charged” in court “where necessary” once the investigation is complete, the SSS said in its affidavit.

The ousted governor, whose term is scheduled to end in June 2024, is the victim of “a political witch-hunt,” according to his bail application.

(Updated with information on SSS in fifth paragraph)

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