ABOVE THE LAW: Nigerian Secret Police{DSS} Disobey Court Order
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In a brazen show of disrespect for the rule of law, the Nigerian Secret Police,{ DSS}, on Tuesday, rearrested the embattled Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, shortly after he was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Following a highly publicized court appearance where the CBN Governor pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him, the presiding judge granted him bail in the sum of N20 million.
However, despite the court’s order for him to be remanded in prison pending the fulfillment of bail conditions, the DSS swiftly rearrested Emefiele, sparking a heated confrontation with NCS officials in the process.
Photos of the clash showed that the DSS operatives were determined to take Emefiele back into custody, leading to a tense standoff with NCS personnel who were equally adamant in carrying out their assigned duties.
The scuffle between the two agencies later culminated in a free-for-all as the Armed Squad Commander of the NPS, Williams Udom, who had come to give tactical support to the prison officials in the court premises, was manhandled, with his service uniform torn.
It took the intervention of a senior female DSS official, who arrived at the scene hours after the standoff and had a brief chat with NCoS officials and her operatives to douse the tension.
This paved way for the DSS to re-arrest Emefiele immediately after he stepped out of the courtroom.
Speaking on the incident, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has called on the Nigerian government to ensure the court order granting bail to the suspended Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is obeyed forthwith.
In a statement issued on Tuesday night, Falana condemned the action of the DSS and called for the arrest and sanction of the officers who brazenly defied the order of the court.
He said, “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 this morning at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi.
“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 SSS.”
He said 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”.
“In 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.
“The federal government should also ensure that the orders of the Federal High Court are obeyed forthwith.
“However, all public officers should draw the necessary lessons from the current travails of Mr. Emefiele. As Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he recklessly displayed arrogance and impunity by disobeying the orders of several courts, including the Supreme Court of Nigeria!” Falana added.
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