Another Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to charge the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to court within two days or grant him administrative bail.
The verdict was delivered on Friday by Justice Bello Kawu following an application filed by Emefiele’s lawyer, Mr Peter Abang, against the Incorporated Trustees of Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership, the Attorney General of the Federation, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Inspector General of Police, State Security Service and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The plaintiff asked the court to declare that the arrest, detention and interrogation of Emefiele is illegal because there is a subsisting judgment and orders of Justice M. A. Hassan (in Suit No. FCT/HC/GAR/CV/41/2022) restraining the state service from apprehending him again over any allegation.
He also asked the court to order his release from the DSS facility.
But the respondents had raised objections to the application.
In his judgment, Justice Kawu held that the continued detention of Emefiele was illegal because a subsisting judgment restrained security operatives from detaining him, but the judge refused to grant the prayers sought by the plaintiff which asked that Emefiele’s detention be set aside among other requests.
The judge said that the DSS obtained a detention order twice from the Magistrate court to detain Emefiele.
Seeing that the detention order expired on July 10, the judge ordered the DSS to charge the suspended governor within two days or free him.
This verdict comes about 24 hours after a separate Justice H. Muazu of an FCT High Court had ordered the DSS to charge Emefiele within 7 days or release him.
DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, said on Thursday that the detainee has been charged to court in compliance with Justice Muazu’s orders.
Recall that the embattled CBN governor was arrested in Lagos after his suspension from office by President Bola Tinubu.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated based on new information about the ruling.
