An High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has quashed the moves by the State Security Services (SSS) to arrest the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, on allegations of terrorism financing and economic crimes.
In a judgment on Thursday on the Originating Motion filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership to enforce the fundamental rights of Emefiele against the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector General of Police, State Security Service and the Central Bank of Nigeria, Justice M. A. Hassan also restrained the SSS from further harassing, humiliating, embarrassing, threatening to incarcerate or detain Emefiele over the trumped-up allegations of terrorism financing and fraudulent practices.
The judge further restrained the SSS and any person acting through them from inviting, arresting and/or detaining the CBN Governor in the guise of having committed any offence with respect to allegations of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities, etc or in any other manner whatsoever interfering with his rights to freedom of movement, personal liberty, human dignity or interfering with the tenure, functions and discharge of his duties as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria except by an order of a superior court.
Furthermore, the court relying on the orders of the Federal High Court in Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022 delivered by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice J. T. Tsoho, lampooned the SSS and declared any continuous harassments, intimidation, threats, restriction of free movement, abuse of right of office, surreptitious moves to arrest and humiliation of Godwin Emefiele over trumped-up allegations of terrorism financing and fraudulent practices by the Service and their officers as vindictive, unwarranted, abrasive, oppressive and constitutes a flagrant breach of his rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person, right to policy making powers, freedom of thought, conscience and religion and movement as respectively provided and enshrined under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act and therefore unconstitutional and illegal.
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The judge further held that the SSS acted wrongfully and illegally in instigating the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against Emefiele in respect of the exercise of his statutory duty relating to the issuance of monetary policies and directives in the interest of national security and the economy.
There have been wild jubilations in the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria and across the banking industry when the news of the judgment leaked.
Also human rights lawyers have hailed the judgment as victory for the protection of human rights and the rule of law, urging the State Security Service to obey the judgment without any delay.
