Court Rejects DSS Bid To Detain Emefiele For Another 14 Days

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has dismissed a request filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking a 14-day extended detention order for the suspended Governor of the Central Bank (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

This is coming barely 2 days after the secret police defied the order of a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, which granted bail to Emefiele in the sum of N20 million and got him rearrested a physical fight with prison officials.

The application which was discreetly filed by the legal team of the DSS on Wednesday was based on purported new evidence it had discovered.

Justice Hamza Muazu who was the vacation judge on Thursday dismissed the application, citing it as an abuse of court process and identifying the lack of jurisdiction.

Upon questioning by the judge about the court’s jurisdiction, given the exclusive rights of the Magistrate Court to grant detention orders under Sections 293 and 296 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the DSS’s counsel, Mr. Victor Ejelonu, opted to withdraw the matter.