The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday resumed work after many weeks of speculation that he would be apprehended by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged terrorism financing and some other heinous crimes.
Spokesman for the apex bank, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, said in a statement that Emefiele resumed “duty…with renewed vigour to perform his duty.”
The statement reads: “The governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has resumed duty after his annual vacation abroad. Mr. Emefiele, who proceeded on leave in December 2022, resumed today, Monday, January 16, 2023.
“The governor resumed with renewed vigour to perform his duty ahead of the first Monetary Policy Committee meeting of the year scheduled for January 23 to 24, 2023.
“Mr. Emefiele remains committed to performing the task before him in line with his oath of office and the policy direction of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“While thanking the public for keeping faith with the Bank, we urge Nigerians to continue to support the policies of the Bank aimed at ensuring a stable financial system and the Nigerian economy in general.”
Recall that Emefiele, who went on leave before Christmas, has been in the news as it emerged that the DSS tried to arrest him in December 2022.
The DSS had approached a federal high court in Abuja seeking a warrant to arrest him for alleged “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.”
In declining the motion ex parte, the chief judge, Justice J. T. Tsoho said the DSS did not provide any concrete evidence to substantiate its claims.
There were suggestions that the bid to arrest Emefiele might be political given the impact the redesign of the naira and limit on cash withdrawals might have on vote-buying in the elections.
A group of civil society organisations raised the alarm that there was a plot to frame Emefiele for terrorism and remove him from office.
However, the DSS swiftly warned against anyone being used to “undermine” its investigations, although it did not specifically name Emefiele.
Spokesman for the secret police, Mr. Peter Afunanya, said the service would not be distracted by those seeking to use “propaganda” to undermine its lawful investigations.
Meanwhile, the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR) has said that the DSS will rubbish President Muhammadu Buhari and the judiciary if it arrests Emefiele.
Spokesman for the Centre, Mr. Abubakar Isa, said in a statement that it would be recklessness on the part of the DSS if it went ahead to arrest the CBN governor despite a court’s order.
“The court, as the last hope of the citizen, has made a pronouncement on the legal rights and obligations of Citizen Godwin Emefiele; it behooves all agencies of government to obey the order of the court until such order is set aside by an appellate court.
“The constitutional role of the judiciary as the third arm of government includes serving as a bulwark against oppression and intimidation. Regrettably, this hallowed principle appears to mean little to the country’s political leadership despite decades of democracy.
“In a display of recklessness, DSS is about to exhibit defiance to a lawful court order, thereby violating a major pillar of democratic governance and an orderly society.
“A major hallmark of democratic governance is the principle and practice of the separation of powers. DSS will be rubbishing President Muhammadu Buhari and the judiciary if they go after Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele despite court order barring them over the alleged trumped up charges of terrorism financing,” Isa said.
