On Thursday, a Federal Capital Territory High Court barred the Department of State Services and the Inspector General of Police from arresting and detaining the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on charges of terrorism and various crimes against him.
Meanwhile, the court ordered an expedited hearing in the matter and shortened the time of both the defendants and the petitioner.
Also restrained by the court order are the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, who are listed as the first, second and fifth defendants.
Judge MA Hassan issued the order in entering judgment in a lawsuit marked GAR/CV/41/2022, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Forum for Responsibility and Good Leadership.
In the lawsuit filed on December 19, the plaintiff, among other reparations, asked the court to declare that the continuous harassment, intimidation, threats, restriction of free movement, abuse of the right to office, surreptitious arrest maneuvers, and harassment of Emefiele , on the part of those surveyed are vengeful, unjustified and abrasive.
The applicant wants the court to declare the moves unconstitutional and illegal.
Judge Hassan ruled that “the fourth defendant, his agents, servants, privates, and all officers under his control and command are hereby ordered to refrain from instigating the arrest or from arresting, questioning, and detaining Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank in respect of any political matter or decision concerning the economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or for any related purpose, except by an order of a higher court.”
The court also granted a substitute service order to the fifth defendant/defendant, the CBN, by serving the summons of origin and other processes on the bank’s legal department, at its headquarters in Abuja.
the punch reports that the DSS had in an exparte request with reference number: FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022, requested an arrest warrant for the governor of CBN for alleged acts of financing of terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes with a security dimension national.
the punch had previously reported that an FCT High Court prevented the DSS from arresting the CBN governor on charges bordering on financing “terrorist financing acts, fraudulent activities, and economic crimes with a national security dimension.”
The DSS had reportedly filed a lawsuit on December 7, 2022 to arrest the CBN Governor.
The presiding judge of the Federal High Court, Judge JT Tsoho, handed down the ruling refusing to grant the governor’s arrest request on December 9, 2022.
