Court declares Emefiele's arrest invalid

Ima Elijah 15:41 - 14 July 2023

Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele speaks at the monthly MPC meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, September 22, 2015. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo has declared the arrest and detention of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), null and void

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo has declared the arrest and detention of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), null and void.

Presiding over the case, Justice Bello Kawu granted the order on Friday, July 14, 2023, acting upon an application made by Emefiele himself.

The chain of events leading to this ruling began on June 9 when President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele from his position and directed him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the deputy governor of the operations directorate.

The following day, the Department of State Services (DSS) revealed that Emefiele was under their custody for reasons related to an ongoing investigation.

Since early June, Emefiele has remained in the custody of the DSS, with the agency asserting that they possessed a legally valid court order permitting his detention.