Court orders DSS to immediately grant Emefiele access to his lawyers, family members

Key Highlights

• An Abuja High Court has ordered DSS and its DG to grant Emefiele access to his lawyers and family members immediately.
• Emefiele’s lawyer, Daudu, had informed the court that the DSS had refused to respond to their letters which were for the purpose of taking further instruction from him.
• The counsel to the second and third respondents, I. Awo told the court that he was sure that the DSS would abide by the order of the court

A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS) and the DSS to immediately grant the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) unrestricted access to his lawyers and family members as it is within his constitutional right.

The order was given by Justice Hamza Muazu on Friday, July 16, 2023, following an application by J.B. Daudu, SAN, counsel to Emefiele.

Daudu had informed the court that he had written letters to the DSS, particularly on June 14, for the purpose of taking further instruction from him, but the DSS has refused to respond to the application.

Counsel says DSS will comply

Making his own contribution, the counsel to the second and third respondents, I. Awo told the court that the DSS did not have the penchant for refusing such a request and that it was wrong to do so.

He, however, said he was sure that the security service would abide by the order of the court and grant access to the listed lawyers and family members of Emefiele to see him, while counsel to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) did not oppose the application.

In another development, counsel to the DSS and the Office of the AGF requested an extension of time to file their respective responses to the originating motion, which was granted and the suit was further adjourned till Tuesday, June 19 for a hearing of the substantive suit.

What you should know

• Nairametrics had on Friday evening, June 9, 2023, reported that President Bola Tinubu had suspended the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, with immediate effect, following an ongoing investigation of his office and planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy.
• The DSS had on June 10, 2023, confirmed that the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele is now in its custody.
• The secret police in its statement urged the public, particularly the media, to apply utmost caution in the reportage and narratives concerning the development.