Lawyers initiate contempt proceedings against DSS DG over failure to release Emefiele

A group of lawyers have initiated contempt proceedings against Yusuf Bichi, director-general (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS), for failing to release Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The lawyers, who filed the suit at the federal high court, Abuja, said the DG of DSS should have ordered Emefiele’s release from custody in light of the prevailing judgements and orders issued in separate instances.

They cited orders by M. A. Hassan, Garki FCT high court judge; Hamza Muazu, Maitama FCT high court judge and Bello Kawu, APO FCT high court judge.

Led by Maxwell Opara and Ahmed Tijani, the lawyers are praying that the court commits Bichi to prison for contempt.

In an order delivered on December 29, 2022,  M. Hassan, barred the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting Emefiele over allegations bordering on “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension”.

However, on June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele as the CBN governor and asked him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, deputy governor, operations directorate.

The day after, the DSS announced that Emefiele was in its custody for “some investigative reasons”.

Emefiele has been in DSS custody since early June, with the service insisting that it obtained a valid court order to keep him.

On July 13, Muazu ordered the service to release the suspended CBN governor or charge him to court.

Shortly after, the DSS announced that it has charged Emefiele to court.

On Friday, Kawu also ordered the service to release Emefiele within two days or charge him in court.

In the affidavit in support of their application, the applicants averred that in spite “of the clear and positive orders of justice Hassan, the State Security Service still went ahead to arrest and detain Mr Emefiele and has so detained him for well over a month, while shopping for evidence which does not exist”.

Opara assured that his group of lawyers  “will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion and ensure that the DSS DG is Bichi is sent to prison”.

“Is it not now clear enough to Nigerians that the SSS is persecuting Mr Emefiele if after holding him for five weeks they can only file a ridiculous charge of possessing a validly registered pump action gun?

“If possessing a validly registered pump action gun is a crime worthy of being held in perpetuity, what has the SSS done to the person threatening Nigerians from a particular section of the country with an assault rifle? 

“This clearly shows that the travail of Mr Emefiele is more for political reasons than for any other.”