Emefiele not arrested – DSS clears air

The Department of State Services (DSS) has cleared the air that its operatives did not “invade” the CBN office and did not arrest the apex bank chief, Godwin Emefiele.

DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya in a statement on Monday said, “the attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to the false news making the round that its operatives invaded the Central Bank of Nigeria and arrested its Governor, today 16/1/23. This is fake news and quite misleading.

The secret police had approached an Abuja court to arrest Emefiele over alleged terrorism financing and economic crimes of national security, however, Justice Maryam Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja quashed the move by the DSS.

Justice Hassan thereafter barred the DSS from arresting, inviting, or detaining Emefiele declaring the terrorism allegations against the CBN governor as vindictive, callous, oppressive, void, and of no effect.

Meanwhile, some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) had urged the secret police to obey the court order to stop the secret police from arresting the national bank chief.

But, a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) argued that the DSS does not need a court order to arrest the CBN governor if the Service has concrete evidence against him.

Falana added that the apex bank governor is not one of those constitutionally entitled to immunity in Nigeria.

He described as embarrassing the allegations against Emefiele by the DSS, saying this can only happen in the Banana Republic where the governor of the apex bank would be accused of a grave offence of terrorism financing.

“Has the government considered the enormous implication of the effect of a wanted governor of the central bank on the economy?

“I am completely flabbergasted that the President of the country has not intervened; either to call the state security to order or to call Mr Emefiele to return to the country or be fired,” he said

Falana insisted that the allegation of terrorism financing against Emefiele should not be dismissed.