Fresh facts emerged about the whereabours of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele who was suspended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday.
A trending video has shown Emefiele who dressed in Kaftan with Hausa csp Brian g whisked away in a Hilux van to the Aiirtport where he was eventually moved to the DSS headquarters in Abuja .
“The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is now in its custody for some investigative reasons,” Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the agency, said in a press statement .
Mr Afunanya did not provide details of when and how Mr Emefiele was arrested and where he is being kept. However, PREMIUM TIMES learnt the banker was picked up from his home in Lagos and then flown to Abuja guarded by a detachment of operatives.
He was then driven to the SSS’ headquarters in the Asokoro District of the nation’s capital when sources said he was being quizzed.
There were speculations Friday night that the SSS arrested Mr Emefiele shortly after he was suspended. But the law enforcement agency tweeted Saturday morning, saying the top banker was not in its custody.
The SSS secretly requested a court order in December to arrest him on allegations of “financing terrorism, fraudulent activities, and economic crimes of national security dimension.”
This request was, however, rejected by the Federal High Court in Abuja because the secret security unit failed to present sufficient evidence to justify issuing an arrest warrant against Mr Emefiele.
Mr Emefiele also faced criticism due to his controversial foray into partisan politics, which saw him contest for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressive Congress. Although the governor tried to deny his involvement in partisan politics, support groups were calling for his emergence as flagbearer of the ruling party.
The governor’s unprecedented involvement in partisan politics attracted widespread condemnation, with experts expressing worries about the governor’s impartiality and the autonomy of the CBN.