The Federal Capital Territory High Court has denied the Department of State Services’ request for an “extended detention order” to keep the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, in custody for an additional 14 days.
Emefiele was arrested shortly after his suspension by President Bola Tinubu and was arraigned on charges of illegal firearms possession after being detained for over a month.
Despite being granted bail by the court, with a requirement of N20 million and one surety, who must be presented for the bail to be perfected, the DSS re-arrested him amid a confrontation with prison officials at the Ikoyi facility of the Nigeria Correctional Service.
The suit, identified as FCT/HC/M/12105/2023, was filed by the DSS to seek permission to detain Emefiele further, presenting new evidence against him. The secret police requested an additional 14 days for their ongoing investigation, but Justice Hamza Muazu ruled against it, stating that it was an abuse of the court process.
See also: DSS Probes Officers Clash With Warders Over Emefiele
The judge clarified that granting such an application was the jurisdiction of the magistrate court, according to Sections 293 and 296 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
In response to the judge’s jurisdiction concerns, the DSS’ counsel, Victor Ejelonu, withdrew the matter, bringing an end to the case.
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