BREAKING: CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Returns From Vacation Ahead of MPC Meeting
Amid controversies surrounding an attempt by the Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest him over terrorism financing allegation, the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, has resumed duty after his annual vacation abroad.
Confirming the development in a statement, Osita Nwanisobi, director, corporate communications, CBN, said Emefiele resumed on Monday.
The CBN boss was said to have returned to the country ahead of the bank’s monetary policy committee meeting slated for next week.
“The Governor resumed with renewed vigour to perform his duty ahead of the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the year scheduled for January 23 to 24, 2023.
“Mr. Emefiele remains committed to performing the task before him in line with his oath of office and the policy direction of President Muhammadu Buhari”, the statement stated.
The DSS had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja requesting an order of the Court to arrest of the Governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele.
The DSS had filed an ex parte application for an order for the arrest of the CBN governor over alleged “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.”
The DSS filed the application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022 at the court on 7 December, suing Mr Emefiele as the sole respondent in the ex parte application.
But the judge, John Tsoho, who is the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, in a ruling on 9 December, rejected the application on the grounds that the secret police failed to provide sufficient evidence to warrant the issuance of an arrest warrant against Mr Emefiele.
The judge said the depositions in the affidavit filed by the DSS in support of its application “purport that preliminary investigation has revealed various acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities perpetrated by the respondent and his involvement in economic crimes of national security dimension.”
But rejecting the application, the judge said: “These are no doubt grave allegations, but which the applicant has not presented any concrete evidence to support.”
He also said the DSS failed to clearly identify the person against whom the arrest warrant was sought.
He said it remained speculation whether the person was the same Godwin Emefiele serving as the CBN governor.
