Emefiele: Anti-DSS protesters storm court, petition AGF

Protesters numbering over 200 on Monday stormed a Federal High Court in Abuja following a suit secretly filed by the Department of State Services, accusing the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, of terrorism financing and other crimes.

The protesters included Buhari Legacy Defenders, Arewa Youth Consultative Movement, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Movement, African Centre for Justice and Human rights, Ethnic Youth Leaders, Political Parties Chairmen Forum and Lawyers in Defence of Economic Rights and Justice.

They marched to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation where they submitted a petition against the action of the DSS and demanded the sack of its DG, Yusuf Bichi.

They also submitted similar letters to the office of the President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Inspector-General of Police, among others.

The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, also alleged that the DSS embarked on the plot to remove the CBN governor for political and pecuniary reasons.

The leader of the protesters, Tochukwu Ohazuruike, who had earlier addressed a press conference, alleged that the DSS DG and his allies in the plot had already promised someone else the office on the agreement that the cash withdrawal limit policy would be immediately suspended.

The protesters also claimed that the plot of labelling Emefiele a terrorist was to undermine the President, usurp his powers to hire and fire and remove Emefiele from office on the strength that they would get an order to detain him for at least 60 days to impose another person as the Central Bank governor.

The DSS had approached the Federal High Court Abuja in the secret suit under S66 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022 to demand that the court order for Emefiele’s detention for 60 days in the first instance.