A Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to charge the suspended Central Bank Of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele to court within one week or release him.
Hamza Muazu, presiding judge, said the former CBN governor should be released on bail if he is not taken to a competent court within one week.
“Though I am in sympathy with the Applicant (Emefiele), but my sentiment will not go far to deliver judgement by granting all the reliefs sought by the Applicant.
The Applicant has not shown that his arrest, detention and investigation were unlawful. However, I am concerned that the application is not without merit. The Applicant is entitled to fair hearing.
At this point, the continued detention of the Applicant cannot be justified in the absence of any charge against him. At the very least, justice demands that Applicant should be released on administrative bail.
Consequently, I hereby make an order, directing the Respondents to within one week, charge the Applicant to court or release him on administrative bail,” the court held.
The judgement followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit that Emefiele filed through his team of lawyers led by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN.
It would be recalled that on June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and asked him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, deputy governor, operations directorate.
He was subsequently arrested by the DSS announced the following day for “some investigative reasons”.
