The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Garki, Abuja on Thursday barred the Department of Security Services (DSS) from arresting and detaining Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over charges of terrorism financing and economic crimes.
Delivering judgement on the suit seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and all officers under their control and from instigating the arrest of Emefiele, Justice M.A. Hassan barred the DSS fr inviting, arresting, detaining or charging the CBN Governor with any allegation of terrorism or fraudulent acts.
This coming barely a weeks after the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Justice John Tsoho, has rejected the suit filed by the DSS to arrest the CBN governor over terrorism charges in his ruling on suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022 between State Security Service (applicant) and Godwin Emefiele (respondent).
In the latest ruling, a copy of which was obtained by journalists in Abuja, the presiding Judge, Hassan
described the plot to arrest Emefiele of terrorism as oppressive, baseless, fabricated and unacceptable.
He ruled that: “plan to arrest Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria over trumped up allegations of terrorism financing and fraudulent practices, etc by the 4th Respondent and their officers is vindictive, unwarranted, abrasive, oppressive and same constitute a flagrant breach of his rights to personal liberty, dignity of human person.”
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According to the Judge, the move also contravenes the CBN governor’s “right to policy making powers, freedom of thought, conscience and —religion and movement as respectively provided and enshrined under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 (as Amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act and, therefore, unconstitutional and illegal.”
Hassan further ruled: “That the 4th Respondent acted wrongfully and illegally in instigating the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against Godwin Emefiele in respect of the exercise of his statutory duty ‘relating to the issuance of monetary policies and directives in the interest of National security and economy.
“It is further ordered that the 4th Respondent, their agents, servants, privies and all officers under their control and command are hereby restrained from instigating the arrest or arresting, interrogating and detaining Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank Governor in respect of any matter or policy decision on the economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or for any connected purposes except by an order of a Superior Court.
“That the 4th Respondent, whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants, privies or acting through any person or persons howsoever are hereby restrained from further harassing, humiliating, embarrassing, threatening to incarcerate or detain Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria over trumped up allegations of terrorism financing and fraudulent practices, etc as well as threats against the peaceable execution of his statutory powers.
“That the 4th Respondent whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants, privies or acting through any person or persons howsoever are hereby restrained from inviting, arresting and/or detaining the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele in the guise of having committed any offence with respect to allegations of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities, etc or in any other manner whatsoever interfering with his right.”
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