Legal practitioners from the group Lawyers in Defence of Democracy have claimed that the State Security Services (SSS) framed the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
During an appearance on Arise TV on Friday, Kingdom Okere, the Convener of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, criticized the arrest as a breach of a standing order from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
He noted the SSS had attempted to arrest Emefiele in December of the previous year but only managed to do so in June 2023.
Okere expressed concern that despite this six-month interval, the security agency continued to detain Emefiele, suggesting they should have gathered their evidence during this period.
He said, “We just heard from the statement by the DSS that they have charged him to court. Charging him to court is different from arraigning him.
“We have not seen a copy of the charge. Of course, the accused has been in illegal detention of the DSS, and his lawyers should be privy to whatever charges that may have preferred against him.
“The point is that Lawyers in the Defence of Democracy have been on this issue since 7th December 2022 when the DSS sought to obtain a black market exparte application from the Federal High Court. It is black market because the honourable judge of the Federal High Court said the DSS could not use that honourable court to commence an irregular proceeding.
“Thereafter, on 29th December 2022, Justice MA Hassan of the FCT High Court made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the DSS from preferring any trump up charge of terrorism financing against the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and DSS participated in that proceeding and they have not appealed that decision and if they purport to have done that, there is no proper record of appeal at the Appeal Court to that effect.
“The rule of law does not empower the DSS to disregard an order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The only thing they can do within their constitutional right is to go to a higher court to set it aside. Insofar as that order remains, whatever they are purporting to do, to file any charges against Emefiele remains illegal ab initio.
Between 7th of December 2022 when they first went to court and 8th June 2023 when they eventually arrested him, they didn’t have any evidence against him. What they have done is to prove us right that they had plans to frame him up. It has now taken them more than one month and just Thursday’s court order that directed them to either release him or charge him to court to now go and file whatever charge they purport to have filed”.
