CBN Governor, Emefiele Secretly Returns To Nigeria?

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele has secretly returned to Nigeria.

Emefiele reportedly returned to the country amidst the call for his arrest over allegations of fraud and terrorism.

Sources in CBN and the presidency confirmed Emefiele’s return to Nigeria to Premium Times.

The CBN Governor has been out of the country over fear that operatives of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) would arrest him.

A source in the presidency that spoke with the platform disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari gave Emefiele permission for two weeks of leave which expired Tuesday.

The source said, “His holidays finished yesterday so he has to report to work today.”

Further information has it that the CBN Governor is planning to leave the country again very soon.

Emefiele is afraid that the secret police could eventually arrest him amidst the continuous power play at the highest levels of the Nigerian government.

The source said, “He is trying to leave within the next few days on the pretence of attending the annual World Economic Forum.”

Recall that DSS in December sought a court order to arrest Emefiele at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

DSS in the application wanted the court to order 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 2022. Emefiele was the sole defendant in the suit which was filed ‘ex parte’.

The presiding judge, John Tsoho on the 9th of 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 SSS 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.”

In rejecting the application, the judge said: “These are no doubt grave allegations, but which the applicant has not presented any concrete evidence to support.”

Tsoho also accused the SSS of deceit, saying the secret police failed to indicate that ‘Godwin Emefiele’, against whom the order was sought, was the same as the CBN governor.

He added, “The respondent in this application is named as ‘Godwin Emefiele’ without disclosure of his status or position anywhere; not even in the affidavit.”

Tsoho ruled that considering the sensitive position held by Emefiele, the permission of Buhari ought to have been sought before the CBN Governor is arrested.

He stated, “It is left to speculation if the ‘Godwin Emefiele’ is the same person as the serving Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. If it is, then he is unarguably a high-ranking public official in Nigeria and indeed occupies a sensitive position as one of the key drivers of the nation’s economy.

“Therefore, an application of this kind should have evidence of the approval of the respondent’s boss, that such measures are authorised to be taken.”