DSS charges Emefiele to court after weeks in custody

The Department of State Service (DSS) confirms that Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has been charged to court.

This was made known in a statement released by Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the DSS after having him in custody for almost 30 days.

This action by the DSS is in accordance with a directive from the Abuja High Court, given on Thursday, July 13, 2023. The court order instructed the DSS to either bring charges against Emefiele within a week or release him.

Afunanya’s statement reads, “Sequel to an Abuja High Court Order of today, 13th July 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele has been charged to Court in compliance with the Order.”

“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 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.”

The DSS, however, assured the Nigerian public that Emefiele‘s case will be handled with the utmost professionalism, ensuring justice and fairness.

It is worth noting that, on June 9, 2023, Tinubu issued a directive instructing Emefiele to transfer the responsibilities of the central bank to the Deputy Governor of Operations, Folashodun Shonubi, who has been functioning in an acting capacity ever since.

The next day, the DSS apprehended Emefiele at his residence in Lagos, where he was allegedly planning to escape the country. He has been in the custody of the secret police ever since, prompting concerns from Human Rights activists who have advocated for him to be charged in court.