Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, has issued a one week ultimatum to the Department of State Services, DSS, to either charge the detained suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele to court or set him free.
The Judge issued the order on Thursday while delivering ruling in a fundamental human rights suit instituted against the DSS and others by Emefiele.
Justice Muazu held that the DSS has power to carry out its constitutional duties of making arrest, detention and ensuring prevention of internal crime, but however said that such duties must be carried out within the ambit of the law. He said that the arrest power of the DSS was not beyond the stipulated conditions under which a Nigerian citizen must be held and for how long.
Emefiele had dragged the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Director General DSS and DSS to court, seeking enforcement of his fundamental human rights to freedom of movement and dignity to human life.
In the suit instituted on his behalf by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Joseph Daudu SAN, the suspended CBN Governor had applied that his arrest and detention since June 10, 2023 without a valid order of court be voided and set aside.
Emefiele demanded a compensation of N5M as exemplary damages for his alleged unlawful detention.
