A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to charge Godwin Emiefele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to court within one week or release him on bail.
Emefiele has been in detention since his arrest after President Bola Tinubu suspended him and ordered a probe of the apex bank.
Recall that Emefiele filed a fundamental human rights suit to challenge his arrest and detention by the Department of State Services
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In the suit, filed through his lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, Emefiele is alleging a violation of his human rights.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation; the Director General of the DSS and the DSS, who have filed preliminary objections, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case and urging that the suit be dismissed.
At the June 20 proceeding in the case, the DSS, through its counsel, I. Awo, told Justice Hamza Muazu that Emefiele’s detention was lawful as the DSS had got an order of an FCT Chief Magistrates’Court to keep him in custody pending conclusion of investigation.
On his part, counsel for the AGF, Tijjani Ghazali (SAN), argued that Emefiele’s arrest and detention by the DSS was an administrative decision of the executive arm of government and urged the court not to interfere.
However, Emefiele’s lawyer, Daudu, disagreed with them, insisting that the suit had merit.
