A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, on Saturday expressed shock about the detention of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, by the State Security Service (SSS).
He said in a short statement that Mr
Emefiele’s suspension was understandable, but added that the confirmation of
SSS that the suspended CBN governor was in its custody “comes as a shock”.
Mr Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
wondered which roles SSS, a body primarily concerned with internal security of
the country, would play in the case while agencies whose focus was relevant to
the activities of the CBN were excluded.
“The suspension of the Governor of the CBN
from office is not a surprise as his tenure was way beyond monetary policy. But
confirmation by DSS that Governor Emefiele is in its custody comes as a shock.
“The statutory role of DSS is internal
security, and I shudder to think what role DSS will play in this matter. The
rule of law says it all – can the relevant agency responsible for Governor
Ememfiele step forward, but this excludes the DSS, unless this has security
implications,” the statement read.
Mr Emefiele was, on Saturday, taken into
custody by Nigeria’s secret police, the SSS, hours after President Bola Tinubu
suspended him from office.
“The Department of State Services (DSS)
hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is now in its custody for some investigative reasons,”
Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the agency, said in a press statement he
shared ,
Mr Afunanya did not provide details of when
and how Mr Emefiele was arrested and where he is being kept. However, our
correspondent learnt the banker was picked up from his home in Lagos and then
flown to Abuja guarded by a detachment of operatives. He was then driven to the
SSS’ headquarters in the Asokoro District of the nation’s capital where sources
said he was being quizzed.
There were speculations Friday night that the
SSS arrested Mr Emefiele shortly after he was suspended. But the law
enforcement agency tweeted Saturday morning, saying the top banker was not in
its custody.
It is unclear why the SSS is holding the
embattled official. But the office of the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation said Friday that his office, the CBN, was under investigation.
The SSS and Mr Emefiele have had a turbulent
relationship recently. Last year, the agency accused the governor of a barrage
of offences.
The SSS secretly requested a court order in
December to arrest him on allegations of “financing terrorism, fraudulent
activities, and economic crimes of national security dimension.”
This request was, however, rejected by the
Federal High Court in Abuja because the secret security unit failed to present
sufficient evidence to justify issuing an arrest warrant against Mr Emefiele.
Mr Emefiele also faced criticism due to his
controversial foray into partisan politics, which saw him contest for the
presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressive Congress. Although the
governor tried to deny his involvement in partisan politics, support groups
were calling for his emergence as flagbearer of the ruling party.
The governor’s unprecedented involvement in
partisan politics attracted widespread condemnation, with experts expressing
worries about the governor’s impartiality and the autonomy of the CBN.
Post a Comment