Abuja Court Stops DSS, IGP Others From Arresting Emefiele Over Alleged Terrorism

An Abuja High Court has stopped the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, from arresting and detaining the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over alleged terrorism.

Justices A.H. Hassan in an order made on December 19, also restrained the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN); the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the CBN from taking any action against Emefiele.

The orders followed an application by a civil society organisation, the Incorporated Trustees of Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership, in a suit marked FCT/HC/CV/GAR/41/2022.

The exparte application was moved by counsel to the applicant, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), asking the court to restrain the respondents “whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants, privies or acting through any person or persons howsoever from inviting, arresting and/or detaining the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele with particular allegations of acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities, or any other manner, howsoever, that may interfere with his rights to freedom of movement, personal liberty, human dignity or in any way interfere with the performance and discharge of his official functions and duties as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

The DSS had earlier in an exparte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022 sought an order to arrest the CBN governor over alleged acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension. But the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, on December 9 rejected the application on the grounds that the DSS failed to provide sufficient evidence to warrant the issuance of an arrest warrant against the CBN governor.