A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, on Saturday expressed shock about the detention of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, by the State Security Service (SSS).
He said in a short statement that Mr Emefiele’s suspension was understandable, but added that the confirmation of SSS that the suspended CBN governor was in its custody “comes as a shock”.
Mr Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, wondered which roles SSS, a body primarily concerned with internal security of the country, would play in the case while agencies whose focus was relevant to the activities of the CBN were excluded.
“The suspension of the Governor of the CBN from office is not a surprise as his tenure was way beyond monetary policy. But confirmation by DSS that Governor Emefiele is in its custody comes as a shock.
“The statutory role of DSS is internal security, and I shudder to think what role DSS will play in this matter. The rule of law says it all – can the relevant agency responsible for Governor Ememfiele step forward, but this excludes the DSS, unless this has security implications,” the statement read.