Emefiele disobeyed Supreme Court, but … — Falana
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has warned public servants to learn lessons from the current challenges facing Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, who he said disobeyed the Supreme Court over the validity of the newly-printed Naira notes.
Falana spoke, on Tuesday, after personnel of Nigerian Prisons Service and the Department of State Services, DSS, engaged in a free-for-all over Emefiele’s custody.
Forty-six days after he was arrested by DSS, and two weeks after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his release or arraignment, Emefiele was, yesterday, Tuesday, arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for illegal possession of firearms.
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In a bench ruling after hearing arguments, Justice Nicholas Oweibo held that the Federal Government failed to establish why Emefiele should not be granted bail.
“Consequently, the defendant is admitted to bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety in like sum,” he ruled.
The judge then remanded Emefiele in prison custody against the request of the prosecution that he be remanded in DSS custody.
However, DSS men refused to allow Prisons officials take Emefiele, leading to the free-for-all. Eventually, DSS took Emefiele away, causing reactions among many, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs.
Falana
Recall that just before the presidential election, the CBN under Emefiele introduced new and redesigned Naira notes. The affected denominations were N200, N500 and N1,000 notes.
Although courts’ orders still made the old notes valid, the CBN and the Presidency remained silent, causing confusion and throwing Nigerians into confusion and hardship.
During this time, Nigerians bought (the new) Naira notes with Naira notes at high charges.
This was what Falana was referring to when he said Emefiele disobeyed court orders.
Below is the statement reproduced in full:
“Notwithstanding the avowed commitment of the Bola Tinubu administration to operate under the rule of law, a team of State Security Service officials brazenly disobeyed the orders of the Federal High Court this morning (yesterday) at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi.