Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was arrested on Saturday morning, inside his highbrow Ikoyi home in Lagos, hours after he was suspended from office, from his post by President Bola Tinubu, citing an investigation of his office and the reforms in the economy, according to a government statement.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which initially denied arresting Emefiele, arrived at his residence, introduced themselves and were allowed into the compound by the security officers at the gate, after receiving clearance from the former bank chief. They subsequently led him away in an unmanned vehicle, close associates of Emefiele told revealed.
A video showing Emefiele being driven in an unmanned DSS Totoya Hilux truck into a private wing of the Lagos airport, where he was escorted into a luxury jet, was later shared to the public on Saturday afternoon.
The DSS and Emefiele have been at loggerheads since the CBN redesigned the naira last year, with just a few weeks to the general elections. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its then presidential candidate, Tinubu, had complained that the move was ill-timed and designed to engineer his defeat in the election, a charge Emefiele denied.
The DSS had sought a high court judge’s approval to detain Emefiele on charges of financing terrorism, economic sabotage and treason afterwards. The judge, however, denied the approval saying the application by the DSS was suspicious and did not have the then President, Muhammadu Buhari’s approval because Emefiele occupied a very sensitive post in the federal government.
Emefiele also subsequently approached a high court where he got an order restraining the DSS from arresting him. While the cat and mouse game between the banker and the DSS played out, it took the intervention of then President Muhammadu Buhari before some form of normalcy was restored between Emefiele and the DSS Director-General, Mr Yusuf Magaji Bichi.
However, the secret police, in a statement while confirming the ex-bank chief arrest says “The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is now in its custody for some investigative reasons.
“The public, particularly the Media, is enjoined to apply utmost caution in the reportage and narratives concerning this”, a statement by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Peter Afunanya, on Saturday, said.
So also, Laolu Akande, former spokesperson for the immediate past Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has described the alleged damage the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, perpetrated at the apex bank as colossal.
Akande also said the suspension and investigation of Emefiele was long over due and should be supported by any Nigerians who value integrity.
He stated this via his twitter handle on Saturday, saying that Emefiele’s “shenanigans” were detriment to Nigerians.
He wrote, “It was about time d CBN Governor faced suspension & investigation. All people of goodwill & those who value integrity, irrespective of political leanings would be thankful for this development.
“Emefiele was given a long rope, but he failed to redeem himself. His shenanigans & the colossal damages he perpetrated at the CBN was to the utter detriment of the Nigerian people. This is not even about cashless policy, but apparent corruption especially in the dual exchange rate policy which never made sense. What a sigh of relief!”
