According to sources, the Department of State Services (DSS) has sent out its agents to search for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, and has ordered them to arrest him immediately.
According to People’s Gazette, two officials with knowledge of Emefiele’s case confirmed that the domestic intelligence office of the DSS had sent several officers to keep an eye on the CBN Headquarters, Emefiele’s family home in Lagos, and the businessman Christopher Emefiele’s Abuja residence, who is not related by blood.
The deployment was authorized by an assistant director of the Services, a DSS officer who chose to remain anonymous told Peoples Gazette, though the source was unable to clarify whether Director-General Yusuf Bichi had given his approval.
We have various teams, each with at least two members, watching such locations. We don’t know if they have further personnel sent to additional locations, but we did not observe any indication from the DG’s office at this time suggesting his involvement. The policeman spoke.
As of Saturday AM, the officers were still discretely keeping an eye on the areas.
After learning that the DSS was actively threatening to arrest him, Emefiele reportedly vanished from view.
Remember that DSS attempted to obtain a warrant from the Federal High Court earlier this month, but was unsuccessful. A federal judge determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the issuance of a warrant against a sitting governor of the nation’s largest bank and its top banking regulator.
The DSS petitioned the court to order Emefiele’s arrest in an ex-parte application—a proceeding brought without the participation of the defendant—on the grounds of supporting terrorism and economic sabotage, among other heinous offenses.
Justice John Tsoho, however, criticized the DSS for failing to take him into confidence and said that the agency’s application lacked sufficient evidence. He added that it appeared that the applicant intended to use the court as a cover for an irregular operation, which is unacceptable.
Concerned Citizens Of Conscience (CCC), an organization that was informed of Emefiele’s departure from Nigeria, appealed to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) requesting his immediate arrest and repatriation to Nigeria.
In a letter dated December 23, 2022, the organization asked Interpol to apprehend Emefiele and extradite him back to Nigeria for trial. Emefiele is currently evading capture in the United States of America (USA).
