The Department of State Services (DSS) might approach the court on Tuesday to seek an order to detain the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, until the conclusion of his interrogation.
Recall that Emefiele was suspended as the apex bank boss by President Bola Tinubu on Friday, and was subsequently arrested in Lagos by operatives of the DSS on Saturday and flown to Abuja in a private jet.
A source in the DSS who spoke with The Punch on Sunday revealed that Emefiele is likely to stay in detention for an indefinite period to allow for unfettered interrogation.
According to the DSS operative, the secret police wants to make sure that the “loose ends are tightened” before the suspended governor of the apex bank is taken to court.
The source said the previous terrorism financing charges against Emefiele are still pending and further investigations may add to that, hence the need to detain him for a while.
However, Nigerians have taken to the micro-blogging platform, Twitter to express their views on the plan to detain the suspended CBN governors for an indefinite period.
See some of the reactions.
@FarukuWadata12 wrote: “It is important to consider the broader context and acknowledge that Mr. Emefiele is not solely responsible for the hardships we are facing. The former President, Mr. Buhari, bears significant responsibility for the situation, as he publicly admitted to authorizing the decisions.”
@Raaylbc wrote: “Not sure how true this is because I’ve obviously not been in Dss custody myself but I’ve heard they don’t treat VIP like Kuje prisoners sha, they get an apartment, they eat well and they are quite comfortable.”
@ObiSandie wrote: “Where are the ‘friends of Meffy’?”
@ChikeEzeh261552 wrote: “Arresting Emefiele without arresting Buhari is like arresting an apprentice for bad service without arresting his boss. Let them go and arrest Buhari not Emefiele who acted on orders from above.”
@swaggabanks1 wrote: “Why seek order? If Tinubu is not being vindictive, extending detention should be based on the rule of law but it’s clear it’s all orders in this case. As a Nigerian am beginning to see Yoruba as a vindictive people since Obasanjo did this same thing.”
@Mymotherson88 wrote: “The arrest won’t be complete without the MINISTER OF FINANCE. If we want to be secure sue him in court, after all, he was working under top call orders.. selective persecution does not bring forth the expected result. This is a proxy arrest.”
@Paytriort wrote: “This is part of what I don’t get. I want to assume they have all these allegations a long time ago. Why would they want to keep in detention while shopping for allegations and evidence? It’s ridiculous. We need to move past this.”
@JoshuaCD2022 wrote: “Let them keep him. The man looks confused even when the government favored him, let alone now. We don’t want to hear anything he has to say except before the courts on how many Nigerians lost their lives due to useless policies from him and his Boss.”
@yinkus772003 wrote: “From DSS custody to EFCC custody. Emefiewerey is not going home anytime soon! I hope @officialEFCC are already prepared for their long-awaited guest.”
