In a recent development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has taken into custody Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), following his ousting from office.
Emefiele was suspended on Friday by President Bola Tinubu, who concurrently announced the appointment of Mr. Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi as the interim Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, stepping in for Emefiele.
Before Emefiele’s suspension, the Department of State Services (DSS) made a request to the Federal High Court on December 7, 2022, through an exparte application (FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022) seeking an order to arrest the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The DSS accused Emefiele of engaging in activities such as financing terrorism, fraudulent acts, and economic crimes that pose a significant threat to national security.
However, Justice J.T Tsoho, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, declined to grant the DSS’s application. The court determined that such a request should have been accompanied by presidential approval, considering the serious implications it would have on the Nigerian economy if the CBN governor were to be arrested and detained.
