After spending 33 days in its custody, the Department of State Services (DSS) has charged the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to court.
Emefiele was charged to court following an order of an Abuja High Court on Thursday, July 13, 2023 that the embattled CBN should be charged to court within one week or be released.
Persecondnews had reported that on June 9, 2023, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele from office and directed the bank’s Deputy Governor in charge of Operations, Mr Folashodun Shonubi, to take over in an acting capacity.
By the following day, the DSS arrested Emefiele and confirmed that he was in its custody.
Confirming that Emefiele has been charged to court, the DSS spokesman, Dr Peter Afunanya, said: “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 (Emefiele) 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.”
Afunanya said in a statement on Thursday that the secret police would continue to ensure that professionalism, justice and fairness in handling Emefiele’s case will be pursed.
Earlier human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) had advised the DSS not to mess up the case involving the suspended CBN chief by prosecuting him for alleged money laundering and economic crimes which fall within the purview of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The DSS should probe Emefiele over alleged terror financing and transfer him to the EFCC for prosecution for alleged money laundering.
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