Coalition Alleges DSS’ Plot against Emefiele

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

Human right lawyers, chairmen of political parties, Civil Society Organisations, Ethnic Youth leaders and Arewa Youth Consultative movement, under the auspices of Coalition of National Interest Defenders have raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the Department of State Services to implicate the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, for terrorism.

The Coalition at a news conference in Abuja therefore demanded the immediate arrest, sacking and prosecution of the Director-General of the DSS, Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi. 

The Convener of the Coalition, Tochukwu Ohazuruike alleged that the Security agency had already filed a motion in Court accusing the CBN Governor of terrorism financing and other crimes it described as economic crimes of national security dimension.

The group also accused the DSS of not informing the President of the investigative report which allegedly revealed that Mr. Emefiele was a terrorist.

The CNID also wondered why the DSS allowed Emefiele to travel out of the country with the President and have unrestricted access to him, when they claimed that they had a damning report against him. 

It challenged the veracity of the claims of the DSS and noted that if truly Bichi believed his claims, he would not have allowed Emefiele anywhere near the President.

The group said by allowing Emefiele to travel with the President, it showed the DG DSS did not believe that the CBN boss was indeed a terrorist.

As a result of this, the CNID said the claims of the DSS in Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022 between State Security Service and Godwin Emefiele was made with the sole purpose of forcefully and wrongfully removing the CBN Governor from office.

The group therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation to set the process in motion to immediately suspend, arrest, investigate and prosecute the DG SSS.

Part of the speech read, “On the 7th December, 2022 just 24 hours after the CBN officially announced the cash withdrawal deposit policy, a barrage coordinated actions were taken, all targeted at ensuring that  Mr. Godwin Emefiele was removed from office or ceased to be the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“These activities included activating the filing of cases against the Mr. Emefiele to ensure he ceases to be in office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria latest by the end of the year as they resolved. 

“We believe that the plot further included carrying out of activities which would have put the life and person of Mr. Emefiele in grave danger. 

“The coincidental travel of Mr. Emefiele to the United States of America with President Muhammadu Buhari may have stalled this aspect of the plan.

“It has taken us some time, diligent and careful monitoring and resources to discover that on the said 7th December, 2022, a Motion was filed in the FCT High Court with the major target of getting the CBN Governor out of office. The Motion had suit number M/294/2022.

“On the same 7th December, 2022 another Exparte application was secretly filed at the Federal High Court Abuja this time directly by the State Security Service. 

“The Suit is between the State Security Service v Godwin Emefiele. Our intelligence which discovered this shocking development showed the suit was filed at the court without disclosing the full identity of Mr. Emefiele to the Court and working on the premise that the court would grant an order for the Service to arrest and detain Mr. Emefiele for a minimum of 60 days hiding under section 66 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

“The State Security Service, an agency of Federal Government secretly approached the Federal High Court Abuja, and filed an exparte application against Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor where they accused him of being a terrorist. 

“It is utterly shocking and shameful for the SSS to fabricate such bogus charges only in a bid to force an innocent man out of office. 

“We have with us the Suit number which at this moment I will read it out, so that Nigerians and Mr. President can send their people to rush to the Federal High Court to get their copies and see this evil with their own eyes, the suit number is FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022.”

Details later…