Detention: Court decides on Emefiele’s case today

Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s suspended governor who has been in custody, will find out today whether he will be successful in the fundamental human rights lawsuit he filed to contest the legitimacy of the Department of State Services’ detention of him.

As you may recall, on June 10, the DSS detained the governor of the top bank shortly after President Bola Tinubu had removed him from office and commissioned an investigation into the CBN.

Emefiele is alleging a violation of his human rights in the lawsuit that he filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, through his attorney, Joseph Daudu (SAN).

The Attorney General of the Federation, the Director General of the DSS, and the DSS have all joined as respondents to the lawsuit and have each filed preliminary objections asking the court’s jurisdiction to dismiss the case.

In the case’s proceeding on June 20, the DSS informed Justice Hamza Muazu that Emefiele’s detention was legal because the DSS had obtained a directive from an FCT Chief Magistrates’Court to hold him in custody pending the completion of an investigation.

The AGF’s legal representative, Tijjani Ghazali (SAN), countered with the claim that Emefiele’s arrest and detention by the DSS were administrative decisions made by the executive branch of government and urged the court not to get involved.

They disagreed with them, but Emefiele’s attorney, Daudu, insisted that the lawsuit had merit.

To decide whether or not he has the authority to hear the case and take into account Emefiele’s prayers, Justice Muazu postponed his decision until today.