Abuna, NIGERIA — A day after a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ordered the release of suspended Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, another court declared his arrest and detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) null and void.
Emefiele sought the court’s intervention against the Incorporated Trustees of the Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector General of Police, the State Security Service, and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The judge ruled that Emefiele’s arrest and detention were in violation of a previous ruling by Justice M. A. Hassan.
Emefiele’s counsel, Peter Abang, requested the court to invalidate his client’s arrest and detention, arguing it was in defiance of Justice M. A. Hassan’s ruling delivered on December 29, 2022.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Bello Kawu agreed that the arrest and detention violated Justice Hassan’s standing order.
The court also nullified any arrest warrant obtained by the DSS and ordered Emefiele’s release from custody.
Following the ruling, Emefiele’s counsel hailed the courage of Nigerian judges and urged the DSS to comply with the court order promptly.
He noted that Emefiele’s health had suffered during his one-month detention and insisted he should be allowed to tend to it.
DSS says it has charged Emefiele to court
The Department of State Security Service said that it has charged Godwin Emefiele, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, to Court.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, the agency said that it charged Emefiele in compliance with a directive from the Abuja High Court.
In the release made available on its official Twitter page, the security agency promises to treat the former CBN governor’s case with the utmost respect for the rule of law and the highest degree of professionalism.
The statement read:
“DSS HAS CHARGED EMEFIELE TO COURT
Sequel to an Abuja High Court Order of today, 13th July, 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele has been charged to Court in compliance with the Order.
“The public may recall that the Service had, in 2022, applied for a Court Order to detain him in respect of a criminal investigation. Though he obtained a restraining Order from an FCT High Court,the Service, however, arrested him in June, 2023, on the strength of suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution.
“The Service assures the public of professionalism, justice and fairness in handling this matter and indeed the discharge of its duties within the confines of the law.”