The Department of State Services (DSS) has announced that the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been formally charged to court.
This development follows the recent order from an Abuja High Court, mandating the DSS to either release Emefiele or initiate court proceedings against him.
In a statement issued by the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, the agency revealed that they had previously sought a court order in 2022 to detain Emefiele.
However, the governor obtained a restraining order from an FCT High Court, temporarily preventing his arrest by the DSS.
Afunanya clarified that Emefiele’s arrest was based on alleged “criminal infractions” for which he is now facing prosecution.
The DSS spokesperson emphasized that the agency had acted in compliance with the court’s order.
The statement released by the DSS read, “The Department of State Services hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele has been charged to court in compliance with the Order.
“The public may recall that the Service had in 2022 applied for a Court Order to detain him in respect of a criminal investigation. Though he obtained a restraining order from an FCT High Court, the Service, however, arrested him in June 2023. This was on the strength of suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution.
“The Service assures the public of professionalism, justice, and fairness in handling this matter and indeed the discharge of its duties within the confines of the law.”
