A legal luminary and human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the Federal Government to direct the Department of State Services (DSS) to obey the Federal High Court order on the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, and release him without further delay.
He added that it is patently illegal and unacceptable for the DSS to flout the bail order of the court and whisked Emefiele away despite the explicit temporary freedom granted to him.
Falana stated this in a statement made available to TheIdeal News on Tuesday.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Tuesday, granted N20million bail to Emefiele with one surety in the like sum and remanded him in Ikoyi Correctional Centre, pending the perfection of the bail terms.
But the DSS operatives rearrested the suspended CBN Governor and whisked him away from the court premises.
Faulting the DSS’ disregard for court order, Falana said in spite of avowed commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration to operate under the rule of law, a team of DSS officials brazenly disobeyed the orders of the Federal High Court on Tuesday.
The statement reads in part, “The Court had admitted Mr. Godwin Emefiele to bail in respect of the offence of illegal possession of firearms.
“For daring to comply with the orders of the Federal High Court, officials of the Correctional Centre were attacked by gun-totting officers of the DSS.
“Notwithstanding the avowed commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration to operate under the rule of law, a team of State Security Service officials brazenly disobeyed the orders of the Federal High Court, which admitted Mr. Godwin Emefiele to bail in respect of the offence of illegal possession of firearms.”
The Senior Advocate further stated that view of the stern warning of President Tinubu that inter-agency physical attacks would not be permitted under his administration, the security officers who attacked officials of the Ikoyi Correctional Centre ought to be fished out and sanctioned.
He added that the Federal Government should also ensure that the orders of the Federal High Court are obeyed without further delay.
Falana further advised public officers on the need to eschew arrogance and act within the confines of the law, saying that public officers should learn from the current travails of Emefiele.
He said, “All public officers should draw the necessary lessons from the current travails of Emefiele.
“As Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Emefiele recklessly displayed arrogance and impunity by disobeying the orders of several courts, including the Supreme Court of Nigeria!”
