Terrorism Financing: Court Stops IGP, DSS From Arresting Emefiele

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Garki has barred the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba and Department of State Security Services, DSS, from arresting and detaining the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele over alleged terrorism financing.

This is even as the court also mandated the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from harrasing the Governor.

Justices A.H. Hassan issued the directive on Friday following an application by a Civil Society Organisation, CSO, the Incorporated Trustees of Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership on December 19, 2022

In a suit marked FCT/HC/CV/GAR/41/2022, which was moved by counsel to the applicant, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), the CSO requested that the court should bar the officers, agents, servants or their privies from inviting, arresting and/or detaining Emefiele with particular allegations of acts of terrorism financing and fraudulent activities.

They also prayed the court to stop persons from interfering in Emefiele's rights to freedom of movement, personal liberty, human dignity, performance and discharge of his official functions and duties as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Recall that the DSS had in an exparte application on December 7, with reference no: FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022, sought an order to arrest the CBN Governor over alleged acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.

But the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, on December 9 rejected the application on the grounds that the DSS failed to provide sufficient evidence to warrant the issuance of an arrest warrant against the CBN governor.

BOblog had reported that thousands of protesters on Monday, December 19, 2022, occupied the Federal High Court Abuja and other strategic locations following the discovery of a suit by the State Security Service, SSS, to arrest and charge Emefiele, of terrorism financing.

The protesters also drummed support for the new cash withdrawal limit introduced by the CBN.

They comprised of Buhari Legacy Defenders, Arewa Youth Consultative Movement, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Youth Movement, African Centre for Justice and Human Rights, Ethnic youth Leaders, Political Parties Chairmen Forum, and Lawyers in Defence of Economic rights and Justice.

The protesters also marched to the Office of AGF Abubakar Malami, where they submitted a petition against the action of the SSS, just as they requested for the sack of DG of SSS, Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

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