A global public interest NGO, One Love Foundation (OLF) and some lawyers and others has in a press interview with Chief Dr Patrick Eholor hailed the DSS for arresting Prof Godwin Emefiele, the embattled, suspended CBN Governor for different crimes and offences and clamour for his prompt prosecution in court.
The organisation alongside seasoned lawyers and activists, including Samuel Ihensekhien Jr Esq wondered why an organisation with a pseudo name like United Lawyers for Rule of Law Defence should also express misinformed outrage over the arrest of the suspended national bank governor.
Recall that the psudo group had described the action of DSS arrest of Godwin emefiele to be archaic undevelopment and also undemocratic.
But OLF and it’s team of lawyers wondered what is illegal in the arrest of a suspect, who has been on the radar of DSS for months and time over what it described as mind blowing atrocities and allegations.
It cautioned the supposed faceless lawyers group and other similar CSOs/groups to deter from same, and allow the DSS perform it’s statutory functions.
OLF further noted that they are fully aware of the 2022 earlier FCT high court orders, which restrained the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, who were listed as the first, second and fifth defendants, but that the court orders in that case were specifically tied to issues of naira redesign been implemented by the then CBN, Governor Godwin Emefiele and not to prohibit the trial, and prosecution in any guise.
The group noted that though in litigated case before the FCT High Court per coram, Justice MA Hassan although made the order while delivering judgment in a suit marked FCT//CV/41/2022, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership. It should be noted that Godwin Emefiele is not a party in that said suit and the said judgement cannot prohibit the DSS or ministry of justice from performing their statutory functions of investigating and arraigning Emefiele.
“In the suit filed on December 19, 2022, the applicant then different from Emefiele, among other reliefs, prayed the court for a declaration that the continuous harassments, intimidation, threats, restriction of free movement, abuse of the right of office, surreptitious moves to arrest, and humiliation of Emefiele, by the respondents are vindictive, unwarranted and abrasive.
It stated that by virtue of court of appeal judgement in
Uwazuruike v. Attorney-General of the Federation (2008) 10 NWLR (Pt.1096) 444 at 458-459 where the Court of Appeal had held as follows:
“It is apparent that the Federal High Court, Owerri and Federal High Court, Abuja are Courts of concurrent jurisdiction, therefore the contention by the counsel for the Appellant that 1st Appellant was charged to court maliciously in flagrant disrespect of an order of Federal High Court, Owerri cannot be correct, because courts that are of similar or concurrent jurisdiction are not bound to follow the decision of each other. See-PROF. AD. OLUTOLA V. UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN (2005) 3 W. R, N PAGE 22} (2004) 18 NWLR (PT.905) 416.
The group further stated that by virtue of the above court of appeal case law and judgement, the investigation, arraignment and prosecution of former cbn Governor is legal. And that former cbn Governor emefiele can be arrested for alleged sundry offences and accordingly charged to court, so legally we wonder which law is a certain pseudo advocacy group relying upon to hold unto there unlegally views , that Godwin emefiele cannot be arrested and tried for sundry criminal offences. The one love foundation noted and praised the DSS to go on with his investigation and conclude same swiftly with a view to arraigning Godwin Emefiele in court.
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