By Suleiman Umaru
With barely six months to the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term in office, it appears things are no longer working out as usual among some members of his kitchen Cabinet.
Yus Bichi, Director General, Department of State Security, DSS, according to security analysts, may have seen Godwin Emefile , governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN,as standing on his way may have concluded arrangement to arrest and detain through the Court process.
Acting on the instruction of the DSS Leadership, one U.S. Gambarawa, had on December 7, 2022, filed an exparte motion before a Federal High Court in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, ‘’seeking the Court’s order to arrest and detain the CBN governor over alleged terrorism financing amongst others’’.
Monday Ubani, Chairman , Section of Public Interest and Development, SPDEL, of the Nigerian Bar Associaton , NBA, had reechoed the DSS allegations against the CBN, governor that he was involved in terrorism financing and economic crimes, describing it as’ ‘fraudulent’’ when he appeared on Channels Television on Tuesday, December, 20, 2022.
He had said that the DSS, Director General who may have taken advantage of the fact that the name of the person accused of sponsoring the terrorism Organisations operations in Nigeria was given simply as Godwin Emefiele, as deposited by the DSS Lawyer in Court to go after him.
Justice John Tosho, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court , in the FCT, who could not go with the argument put forward by the DSS, legal team, to give the nod to the agency to arrest and detain the CBN, governor in his ruling had said that that ‘’the name of the respondent to the case was given simply as Godwin Emefiele without a material disclosure that he is the same person as the CBN governor’’, thus frustrating their plan.
This may have informed why Ubani, Chairman, SFDEL, NBA, had seen the move as another Walter Onnoghen, the former Chief Jutice of Nigeria, CJN, case in 2019 The then CJN, who is from the south south state of Cross river, was arrested and detained on accounts of false declaration of Assets and banned from holding public office for the next 10 years. Emefiele is also from the south- south region, presicely Delta, home state of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Opposition People’s Democratic Party Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections and slated for humiliation.
question on the lips of most people was that over the last seven years, Emefiele had remained in the good book of the power brokers in the ruling All Progressive government ministering to their needs as the CBN ,governor and there were allegations at any time that he was involved in financing terrorism.
He was consistently commended for trying to block avenues through which the terrorists Organisations, the Islamic Fundamentalist Group , BokoHaram , the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP and Bandits Group are usually getting funds both locally and overseas.
The planned attempt by the DSS, has continued to elicit react from several quarters.John Joseph Hayab, a Clergy man and Chairman Kaduna state Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, who could not hide his feelings had said that that if the agency had succeed in their plan to arrest and detain Emefiele, the CBN governor, the country would have been thrown into an imaginable confusion which may have derailed the 2023 general elections.
Many believe that Emefiele may have stepped on toes with the redesigning of the N200, N500 and N1000 Notes, which was approved by the Katsina state born Nigerian President last October and the recent weekly withdrawal Limits introduced for Individuals and Organisations in Banks and Point of Sale, POS, by the apex bank which becomes effective on January 9, 2023.
It was reported that since the announcement of the naira design policY, the DSS, under the Leadership of Bichi has been making ‘ ‘enquiries from the CBN, over the process of the currency printing and minting’’ among others, which the apex bank officials did not find funny. The officials were said to have resisted such pressures from the DSS. The resistance, according to informed sources may have infuriated DSS Leadership that may have led to the doubling down and the decision to approach the Court in order to arrest and detain him and which may eventually lead to his removal from office.
The argument in political circles was that the new Financial policies introduced by the CBN, under the close watch of Emefiele have disrupted political parties vote, in some parties ,particular, in Vote buying strategies. This may hay have led to the fight back to circumvent the apex bank newly introduced policies but Emefiele has refused to cave in.
The Leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, may have hit the nail on the head when they stated from the onset that the CBN, introduced the two new far reaching monetary policies, ‘‘money Launderers, political bandits, foreign currency exchangers drug and narcotic traders who were against the CBN cashless policy and the redesigning of the bank Notes were determined to use their contacts in government establishments to fight back.
Security experts see the DSS plot to arrest Emefiele as an unpopular decision that may hunt the ruling APC in the upcoming elections as Human Rights Lawyers, Chairmen of some political Parties, Civil Socirty Organisations, Ethnic Youth Leaders and Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, acting under the auspices of Coalition of National Interest Defenders, CNID, have thrown their weight behind the CBN , governor, who had claimed that friends raised N100 million to pick the party Intent of Interest and Nomination Form to contest the its Presidenial primaries for the 2023 general elections to take over from Buhari as the next Nigerian President and Commander –InChief, C-In-C, after the 2023, general elections.
The DSS, according to critics may not have seen anything wrong with this to investigate to find out who are these CBN governors who could cough out N100million to buy APC Presidential Nomination Form buto implicate him now for funding terrorism’’.
The table may have turned against the DSS Director General as Nigerians are calling for his removal from his exalted position. The Arewa Youth Asembly , AYA, had been very vocal on this. The Group had called on the Nigerian President to sack Bichi, the DSS boss, over attempts by the agency to arrest and detain the governor of CBN, Emefiele.
Ali Muhammed, Secretary General ,AYA, was emphatic on this. He has asked Buhari, on behalf of the Group to urgently sack the DSS Director General ‘ ‘to pave way for more Competent Nigerian s to fight against the country’s security’’.
The Group was said to have accused the DSS boss of ‘‘sharing his loyalty with another person different from the President’’. He noted that since the plans to arrest and detain Emefiele by the DSS has failed and Bichi, the Director General, believes that he still has ‘’ ‘any iota of patriotism left in him he ought to have resigned his appointment’’.
He averred that the DSS Leadership has no reason to fight the CBN governor for introducing the new policy meaures as it was aimed at’ ‘fighting corruption, banditry , terrorism and vote buying in the 2023 general election’’. Given the tension in the polity over the planned arrest of Emefiele, the CBN , governor by the CBN, there have not not been any reaction from the Presidency , fueling speculations making the rounds that the Buhari may have been aware of the plan but refused to give approval.
