By Sunday Aborisade
A civil society organisation, African Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR), has said that the Department of State Services (DSS) could rubbish President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and the judiciary if the secret police should arrest the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
The group wondered why the DSS should still be on the trail of the apex bank’s boss despite court orders barring it from arresting Emefiele over the alleged trump up charges of terrorism financing and economic crimes.
The ACJHR stated this in a statement by its strategic communication consultant, Mr. Abubakar Isa, and made available to THISDAY in Abuja on Monday.
The group recalled that Justice M.A. Hassan barred the DSS from inviting, arresting, detaining or charging the CBN governor with any allegation of terrorism or fraudulent act.
It noted that Justice Hassan described the plot to arrest Emefiele on charges of terrorism as oppressive, baseless, fabricated and unacceptable.
The statement frowned on the fact that despite the court order, there were reports that the DSS was still hell bent on arresting Emefiele.
It wondered what use is democracy in Nigeria if a security agency wants to violate the ruling of a major pillar of democratic governance and an orderly society.
It reiterated a call for the arrest of the Director General (DG) of DSS, Yusuf Bichi, and operatives involved in the trump up allegation of terrorism against Emefiele.
Part of the statement read: “In December 2022, the court quashed the Department of Security Services’ move to charge CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, with trump up charges of terrorism financing and economic crimes.
“The court, as the last hope of the citizen, has made a pronouncement on the legal rights and obligations of citizen Godwin Emefiele, it behoves all agencies of government to obey the order of the court, until such order is set aside by an appellate court.
“The constitutional role of the judiciary as the third arm of government includes to serve as a bulwark against oppression and intimidation. Regrettably, this hallowed principle appears to mean little to the country’s political leadership despite decades of democracy.
“In a display of recklessness, DSS is about to exhibit defiance to a lawful court order, thereby violating a major pillar of democratic governance and an orderly society.
“A major hallmark of democratic governance is the principle and practice of the separation of powers. DSS will be rubbishing President Muhammadu Buhari and the judiciary if they go after Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele despite court order barring them over the alleged trump up charges of terrorism financing.”
