Court gives DSS 7 days to either charge Emefiele to court or release him

The Department of State Services (DSS) has been given seven days to file a court complaint against suspended Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele or to free him from detention.

The State Security Service was ordered by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, to either file charges against the troubled former CBN boss or ensure his release within seven days.

Through a fundamental rights application submitted on his behalf by his lead attorney, J.B. Daudu SAN, Emefiele requested that he be released from the DSS facility.

He asked the court to rule that the suspended CBN governor’s arrest, which occurred without any charges being brought against him or a court order authorising his arrest, violated his fundamental rights.

In addition, he requested that it be declared that the applicant is entitled to freedom of speech and movement, as well as an order directing Emefiele’s immediate and unconditional release or, in the alternative, granting him bail.

Additionally, he requested a court order prohibiting the defendants from continuing to hold the applicant under suspicion of committing any crime and added that the defendants should be required to pay a N5 billion fine.

Recall that on June 9, President Bola Tinubu removed the CBN governor from office, opening the door to an investigation into his tenure at the top financial institution.

The president then gave the order for Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the CBN’s deputy governor for operations, to take over in an acting capacity.

About a day after his suspension, the DSS detained him at the Lagos airport and sent him to its Abuja headquarters.

But prior to that, the AGF and DSS had objected to Emefiele’s applications and affidavit in support of them.

The DSS refuted the claim of a political witch hunt in a counter affidavit written by its attorney, I. Awo, stating that “the applicant was arrested upon reasonable suspicion of committing acts which constitute a criminal breach of trust, incitement to violence, criminal misappropriation of public funds, economic sabotage, economic crimes of national security dimensions, and undermining the security of Nigeria.” He claimed that Emefiele was transported to Abuja on a private jet, not in a commando fashion.