By Sunday Ani
An advocacy group, The Truth – Nothing More, Nothing Else, has condemned the continued detention of the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele by the Department of State Service (DSS) and called for his immediate release.
The call followed the outcome of the group’s half-year conference in Lagos where it reviewed the state of the nation, particularly as it affects personal freedom of Nigerian citizens.
The group said it was worried about the sad things happening in the country, particularly the arrest and detention of Emefiele on June 9, just 10 days into the administration of President Bola Tinubu. The group said the whole drama surrounding his arrest and detention ever since then was unnecessary and unacceptable.
A communiqué at the end of the conference, jointly signed the Project Coordinator, Alhaji Kanabe Zubairu and Secretary, Prince Moses K. Ibekwe, said Emefiele’s arrest reminds one of former President Muhammadu Buhari presidency as Emefiele has been in detention for about 39 days without being charged to court.
“This clearly runs against his civil rights to be charged to court within 48 hours of arrest,” the group said.
Part of the communiqué read: “Emefiele challenged his illegal detention and on July 13, Justice Hamza Muazu of the Abuja High Court gave a ruling, ordering the DSS to either charge Emefiele to court within seven days or release him. The judge noted that the charges against Emefiele were bailable, not being capital in nature.
“Incidentally, Emefiele was charged the same day in a Lagos High Court with illegal possession of a gun and some rounds of ammunition. The charges against him are not for capital offences, as stated by Justice Muazu, thus bailable. We, therefore, call for his release on bail while the trial runs. If the matter is about justice and the rule of law, his continued detention serves no useful purpose.
“We note that the DSS has been trailing Emefiele since 2022, seeking to arrest him, allegedly on the grounds of malfeasance concerning stamp duties. It took a court injunction to stop the DSS. Would it be that the DSS now sees an opportunity in the change of government to cut a pound of flesh rather than sheathe its sword? If the President and Commander in Chief isn’t in acquiescence, he ought to call the DG of DSS to order.
“Our suspicion is that Emefiele had stepped on powerful toes with Buhari’s currency change in January this year. The change was said to be targeted at depriving politicians of the opportunity to buy votes with cash. The currency change touched all Nigerians wrongly, and it would be wrong for the group in power today to engage in apparent vendetta as right-thinking Nigerians are beginning to see the Emefiele’s matter. It must also be said that the currency change was a Buhari government’s policy, not a Godwin Emefiele’s policy. We call for the release of Godwin Emefiele from detention, while the trial continues. It is a test for the democratic credentials of the Tinubu government.”