Court Asks DSS To Obtain Buhari’s Approval To Arrest CBN’s Godwin Emefiele

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to obtain approval from President Muhammadu Buhari to arrest the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

The secret police had filed an ex parte motion in an application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022 to arrest Emefiele, but the chief judge, Justice JT Tsoho, declined the request.

Judge Tsoho said the Department of State Services concealed the portfolio of Emefiele in their application, failing to indicate that the arrest request was for the governor of the central bank. 

Tsoho explained that arrest request for someone holding such extremely sensitive position should come with the President’s approval due to the impact it could have on the economy. 

Emefiele had been accused of being involved in terrorism financing and economic crimes, but the chief judge stated that DSS didn’t provide enough evidence to support their claims. 

In a report by The Cable on Monday evening, a source was quoted to have said, “The honourable judge also wondered why the name of the respondent was given simply as ‘Godwin Emefiele’ without a material disclosure that he is the same person as the CBN governor, a highly ranking public official who occupies an extremely sensitive position.” 

The attempt to arrest Emefiele comes at a time the central bank governor released some policies; the redesign of the naira and cash withdrawal limit, to reduce the naira in circulation.

CBN’s policies have been linked as an attack against politicians in Nigeria who blocked Emefiele’s attempt to contest for the Presidential election in 2023.

Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, had hinted at this in a Prime Business Africa report, stating that, “Nobody is saying the economy shouldn’t be cashless. Take time and do it systematically. 

“We shouldn’t do it as if some people wanted to be politicians and they were denied the opportunity, then they use their office to punish the politicians.”