The Department of State Services (DSS) has prayed the Federal Capital Territory High Court to deny the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, bail.

Defending his continued detention, the DSS said Emefiele would flee Nigeria if granted bail, describing the suspended CBN Governor as a “flight risk”.

The secret police stated these in counter-affidavits filed alongside the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF) in a fundamental rights enforcement suit by Emefiele.

The DSS warned that the suspended CBN boss could interfere with its investigations if released.

It stressed that Emefiele was arrested “upon reasonable suspicion of committing acts which constitute a criminal breach of trust, incitement to violence, criminal misappropriation of public fund, economic sabotage, economic crimes of national security dimension and undermining the security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The secret police added: “Upon the arrest of the applicant, a detention order was duly and promptly procured from a court of competent jurisdiction to enable the 2nd and 3rd respondents to keep the applicant in lawful custody for a period of 14 days when it became apparent that investigation into the allegations levelled against him would take a little while to conclude.

“Also, the arrest of the applicant is not in connection with his financial or monetary policies, including the recent re-design of the naira which was approved by His Excellency, the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The applicant is still being investigated and as soon as the investigation is completed, the applicant will be immediately charged to court where necessary.

“The applicant has enormous resources at his disposal and can easily interfere with an ongoing investigation and even evade subsequent arrest if released on bail.

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“The applicant is a flight risk and there is credible intelligence that he making a frantic effort to flee the country if released prematurely on bail.

“The investigation has assumed a wider dimension and other collaborators fingered in the course of the investigation are at large and ought to be traced and arrested to enable a successful prosecution.

“Any attempt to grant the applicant bail at this stage of the investigation may interfere with other exhibits yet to be collected and jeopardize ongoing investigation in the matter;

“The activities of the applicant constitute a potent threat to national security and cohesion of the Nigeria state;

“The applicant instituted this suit with the sole aim of preventing the 2nd and 3rd respondents from discharging their statutory mandate by seeking to use this court to fetter the hands of the 2nd and 3rd respondents in the ongoing security investigation.”

On its part, the OAGF stated that Emefiele’s life was not in danger to warrant him being granted bail.

It further dismissed the speculation that Emefiele was being held for terrorist-related crimes.

The OAGF said: “Issues of terrorism financing and fraudulent activities are not part of the grounds for the arrest and detention of the applicant.

“The respondents have not violated the applicant’s right to live in any way; his life is not in danger. The respondents did not subject the applicant to any judicial adjudication to warrant the allegation of denial of a fair hearing.

“With the remand order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, the said violation of the applicant’s right to freedom of movement does not arise.

“The respondents did not subject the applicant to any torture, the details of which have not been provided.”

Emefiele had sued to challenge his continued detention by the DSS.

The FCT High Court, on Friday, June 16, ordered the DSS to grant Emefiele unhindered access to his lawyers and family.

Justice Hamza Muazu granted the order after an oral application by counsel for the suspended CBN Governor, Joseph Daudu, SAN, in a suit marked: FCT/HC/CV/6450/23.

Emefiele was taken into custody by DSS hours after President Bola Tinubu suspended him from office.

The Star