A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed an application filed by the Department of State Services, DSS, seeking an order to extend the detention of the embattled Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
According to Channels Television, the request was discreetly filed by the DSS’s legal team on Wednesday based on an alleged new evidence it had obtained.
The application was dismissed by Justice Hamza Muazu who cited an abuse of court process and the lack of jurisdiction.
The request by the DSS followed Emefiele’s re-arrest by the agency from the court premises in Lagos, after the court had ordered his remand in a Correctional Centre while awaiting the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
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The DSS’s counsel, Victor Ejelonu, chose to withdraw the matter after the judge raised questions about the court’s jurisdiction, given the exclusive rights of the Magistrate Court to grant detention orders under sections 293 and 296 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Earlier, A socio-cultural group, the Arewa Youths Movement, AYM, has described the rearrest of the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele by the Department of State Services, DSS as baseless, void and a contemptuous violation of the court judgment voiding terrorism allegations against him.
The secret police and officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS on Tuesday clashed over the agency’s move to take custody of the suspended Apex Bank Chief after Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos admitted Emefiele to bail in the sum of 20 million.
Eventually the operatives of the secret police took custody of Emefiele after the physical fight.
The group, in a statement issued by its leader, Kabiru Yusuf, on Wednesday recalled that months ago, Justice M. A. Hassan of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT restrained the DSS and four others from arresting or detaining Emefiele over alleged terrorism financing.
He also recalled that the judge held that the DSS acted wrongfully and illegally in instigating the then President Muhammadu Buhari against Emefiele in respect of the exercise of his statutory duty relating to the issuance of monetary policies and directives in the interest of the national security and economy.
He further recalled a recent ruling in which an FCT High Court Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, ordered DSS to immediately release Emefiele from detention.
He emphasised that the rearrest by DSS on grounds of terrorism was baseless and contemptuous violation of earlier court judgements voiding terrorism allegations.
He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately suspend the DSS DG, Yusuf Bichi, for constantly assaulting the judiciary and disregarding the rule of law.
Arewa youths said: “The DSS rearrest of Emefiele on grounds of terrorism is baseless and contemptuous violation of earlier court judgement voiding terrorism allegations. An agency that has refused at several occasions to respect court rulings. One of the highlights of President Tinubu’s first meeting with the security chiefs was his warning that he won’t tolerate them working at ‘cross purposes’.
“What the DSS is doing is criminal. They are acting like they are above the law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu acts now and shows that he’s a true Democrat before this agency becomes unruly.”
