Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), on Tuesday, re-arrested suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, after a tussle with officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
Emefiele’s re-arrest occurred on the premises of a Federal High Court in Lagos sitting in Ikoyi after Justice Nicholas Oweibo admitted the embattled and suspended apex bank chief to bail in the sum of the N20m. The judge also ordered that Emefiele be remanded at the correctional center pending the fulfillment of the bail conditions.
Shortly after the ruling, DSS operatives had strategically positioned their Hilux Pick Up van used in bringing Emefiele to court, in a manner suggesting that they wanted to take him back to their detention centre. This prompted Emefiele’s lead counsel, Joseph Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and other lawyers to raise an alarm about their client’s planned re-arrest by the secret police.
After the court ruling, the suspended CBN governor holed up inside the courtroom with his lawyers. However, when the prison officials moved to take Emefiele into custody pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions, the secret police reportedly challenged them and it led to a face off. Amid the clash, Emefiele’s lawyers “reluctantly allowed the DSS take custody of their client” to avoid a gun battle.
The prison officials then exited the court in their vehicle and the DSS took charge. At exactly 03:03pm, DSS operatives led the suspended CBN governor out of the courtroom into their waiting vehicle.
