Why You Can’t Arrest CBN Governor, Emefiele, Court Tells DSS

Emefiele

Those waiting for the arrest and docking of Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, may have to wait, as the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a request by the State Security Services (SSS) to order his arrest.

This was over allegations bothering on “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.”

On 7 December 2022, the DSS reportedly filed a suit, seeking to arrest the CBN governor. However, when Justice J.T Tsoho gave the ruling, he declined to grant the application for the governor’s arrest on December 9, 2022.

The suit, with reference number FHC/Abj/CS/2255/2022, had State Security Services as the applicant.

According to the judge: “In the light of the foregoing reasons, I decline to grant this application ex parte. If the applicant believes that the evidence available to it so far is sufficient, then it can as well arrest and detain the applicant, even without the order of the court. If however, the applicant desires to still pursue this application, then it should place the respondent on notice considering the sensitive public office that he occupies.”

On Monday, the Coalition of National Interest Defenders (comprising human rights activists, Arewa Youth Consultative Movement and public interest lawyers), expressed concern over the development. According to them, the plan to sack the CBN governor was “orchestrated by politicians who were not comfortable with the economic reform policy of the apex bank, especially the designation of the naira.”

Not organisation to let an accusation fly without intercepting it mid-air, the DSS spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, submitted: “While professionally discharging its mandate, the DSS pledges to. It will also not give room to the use of falsehood and deceit to misdirect public understanding and perceptions of issues of national importance.

The service warned “those on a wild goose chase to be mindful of their actions. Similarly, it urges members of the public to disregard the vituperations and rantings of misguided elements and not allow themselves to be used as instruments of destabilisation.”