On Monday, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Judge Olukayode Adeniyi struck the federal government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with an enormous N100 million fine for forcefully detaining Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), without authorization.
Judge Adeniyi further prohibited the federal government and any of its agents from re-arresting, detaining, or harassing Emefiele for any claimed offence without first obtaining an arrest warrant from a court with competent jurisdiction, even in light of Emefiele’s ongoing trial.
The lengthy detention of Emefiele by the Department of State Service (DSS) and EFCC for more than five months was deemed illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional by the judge, who then granted the order.
The judge stated that the order of detention obtained from a Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse, Abuja, lacked probative value and that the federal government’s explanation that Emefiele was being probed for other alleged violations was untenable.
He also chastised security services for apprehending and holding suspects before conducting an investigation.
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.