In compliance with the Order issued by the Abuja High Court today, July 13, 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed that Mr. Godwin Emefiele has been charged to court.
It is pertinent to mention that back in 2022, the Department of State Services (DSS) formally requested a Court Order to detain him in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation.
Sharing this update in an official statement, Peter Afunanya, the Public Relations Officer of the service, provided his viewpoint on the matter: ‘Though he obtained a restraining order from an FCT High Court, the Service, however, arrested him in June, 2023, on the strength of suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution.’
The Service assures the public of professionalism, justice and fairness in handling this matter and indeed the discharge of its duties within the confines of the law.
Emefiele’s suspension from the role of CBN Governor came into effect upon Tinubu’s inauguration as President.
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Consequently, the suspension of the CBN Governor was a direct outcome of the ongoing investigation into his office and the upcoming reforms in the financial sector of the economy.
Mr. Emefiele was instructed to transfer the responsibilities of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will assume the role of Acting Central Bank Governor during the investigation and the implementation of the reforms.
Last year, it came to light that the State Security Service (SSS) had discreetly sought a court order in December to arrest him based on allegations of ‘financing terrorism, fraudulent activities, and economic crimes of national security dimension.’
It was earlier reported that Emefiele was apprehended at his residence in Lagos and subsequently transported to Abuja under the watch of a team of operatives.
From there, he was taken to the headquarters of the State Security Service (SSS) located in the Asokoro District of the capital city, where sources indicated that he was being interrogated.
Ever since, he has been held in custody until a court mandated his release or prosecute him within a 7-day timeframe, a move that undeniably influenced the DSS’s decision to formally charge him to court.