The Directorate of State Services (DSS) has arrested and taken Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the immediate past governor of Central Bank of Nigeria into its custody.
Few hours ago, President Bola Tinubu suspended the CBN Governor and directed him to hand over to the most senior director in the apex bank.
Emefiele is expected to hand over to the CBN Deputy Governor (Operations), Folashodu Adebisi Shonubi pending full investigations of the issues raised against him.
With the arrest, Emefiele will answer charges bordering on aiding and abetting terrorism, money laundering, fraud, mismanagement of interventionist funds bought against during the era of Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The SSS also accused Mr Emefiele of “fraud, money laundering, round tripping and conferment of financial benefit to self and others.”
Mr Emefiele, as sitting CBN governor, shot himself in the foot by collecting the presidential ticket of All Progressives Congress, APC, at N100 million. Images of his branded vehicles and other campaign materials surfaced online in the lead-up to the party’s primary election.
He also approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to obtain an order affirming his right to jostle for the APC’s ticket. But the court on May 9 refused to grant Mr Emefiele’s prayer.
The DSS said in its filing in December 2022 that Mr Emefiele “procures a number of vehicles and disbursed funds for his botched presidential ambition.”
It added that “the said funds and vehicles are being channelled into funding of Unknown Gunmen, Eastern Security Network (ESN) and elements of IPOB, a proscribed organisation.”
In addition, the agency said Mr Emefiele, “on several occasions in actions prejudicial to the security of the Nigerian state,” engaged in “criminal conspiracy to divert government resources into suspicious acts of terrorism financing.”
