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Emefiele: NBA Slams DSS, Correctional Service, Seeks Punishment For Officers
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described as “despicable”, Tuesday’s scuffle between operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over the custody of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, in a statement on Wednesday, called on the two agencies to take immediate disciplinary measures against the officers involved in the “disgraceful conduct”.
He said the altercation between officers of the two government agencies on the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos is a recipe for anarchy and chaos, adding that it was a “brazen disrespect for the sanctity of the court premises”.
On Tuesday, the secret police and prison officials caused a stir when they clashed on the court premises over the agency to take custody of the suspended and embattled apex bank chief after Justice Nicholas Oweibo admitted Emefiele to bail in the sum of the N20m.
The judge also ordered that Emefiele be remanded at the correctional centre pending the fulfillment of the bail conditions.
This was after Emefiele, 61, pleaded “not guilty” to the two counts of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition filed against him by the Federal Government. Emefiele, who was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on June 9, 2023 was arraigned over six weeks after his arrest and detention by the secret police.
Shortly after Emefiele’s arraignment and bail, DSS operatives strategically positioned their Hilux Pick Up van used in bring him to court, in a manner suggesting that they wanted to take him back to their detention centre but the suspended CBN governor holed up inside the courtroom with his lawyers.
When the prison officials moved to take Emefiele into custody pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions, the secret police challenged them and it led to a fight.
Amid the clash, Emefiele’s lawyers “reluctantly allowed the DSS disobey court order and take custody of their client” to avoid a gun battle.
The prison officials then exited the court in their vehicle and the DSS re-arrested Emefiele despite the court’s order granting him bail and remanding him in prison.
The NBA, in its reaction, condemned the scuffle and labelled the conduct of the DSS operatives and prison officials as “disgraceful”.
The Association said the correctional service and the secret police ought to work in concert towards attaining justice in a secured Nigeria.
“This incident regrettably is further evidence of the lack of discipline and absence of professionalism that continues to plague key security institutions in Nigeria, which, without doubt, is largely responsible for the limited progress in achieving a coordinated response to security concerns across the country,” the statement partly read.
“The NBA further condemns the brazen disrespect for the sanctity of the court premises. The courts and judicial processes remain the barometer by which the conduct of persons or agencies of government are gauged in assessing the rule of law.
“The NBA calls on the two agencies to take immediate disciplinary measures against the officers involved in this disgraceful conduct. In addition, there is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of the institutions and a total reorientation of the personnel, to achieve professionalism and ensure synergy in the discharge of their respective constitutional responsibilities.”
Oshiomhole, a former Edo State governor, further emphasised that borrowing for capital projects such as infrastructure is a healthy global practice.
According to him, every past president from former President Olusegun Obasanjo to General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) had at one point approached the international community for loans and aid.
He made the clarification when he was featured as a guest on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
His concerns come barely one month after the President sought the National Assembly’s approval to secure external loans of $21.5 million and ¥15 billion, along with a grant of €65 million, as part of his government’s proposed 2025–2026 external borrowing plan.
Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during the plenary on May 27.
The letter also included a summary of the funding breakdown, but the content was not made public.
Oshiomhole, however, insisted that there was nothing wrong with the National Assembly approving such loans since every country needs them for developmental projects.
He said, “Once the purpose of borrowing is clear and acceptable, it is patriotic to approve of it. Because this is not the first president to borrow. I would challenge you to name any Nigerian president, from Olusegun Obasanjo to Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, though I’m not too sure about that because he didn’t live enough.
“But Jonathan and Buhari did borrow. Even America is borrowing. The current bill in the United States is going to push US deficit to about31 to $36trn.
“You name the country that doesn’t borrow. For me, borrowing for the right purpose like infrastructure is very healthy.”
In a statement, Onanuga said the President renewed his order in the wake of the latest round of reprisal attacks that led to the death of many people.
Governor Hyacinth Alia on Sunday confirmed the killing of 59 persons at Yelewata, where suspected herdsmen from Nasarawa State attacked the border town.
Addressing journalists at the Government House, Alia said the figures are based on physical headcounts by security agencies working with families of those killed.
In his reaction, Tinubu charged the governor with convening reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed and bring lasting peace and harmonious coexistence between farmers, herders, and communities.
“On the president’s directive, intelligence chiefs, the police and the military have arrived in the state to direct security operations and restore sanity,” Onanuga said.
Describing the killings and bloodletting as inhuman and anti-progress, Tinubu called on political leaders and community leaders in conflict areas to stop fuelling the crisis through unguarded utterances and statements that could further inflame tensions.
“The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated. Enough is now enough.
“I have directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them.
“Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings.
“This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue. Our people must live in peace, and it is possible when leaders across the divides work together in harmony and differences are identified and addressed with fairness, openness and justice,” the President was quoted as saying.
Addressing journalists at the Government House, Alia said the figures are based on physical headcounts by security agencies working with families of those killed.
Among those killed were military and civil defence personnel who fought to defend Yelewata against the attacks.
Governor Alia also gave some credit to his Nasarawa State counterpart, Abdullahi Sule, who shared some intelligence on the killings which also left one woman dead on the Nasarawa axis.
The governor gave the details when he received a report from the panel of inquiry on the militia activities in the Sankera axis and pledged to commit to the appropriate authority and investigate the persons indicated in the report to ensure peace returned to Sankera.
Pope Leo XIV has since condemned the recent killings in Benue, describing the incident as a “terrible massacre” in which mostly displaced civilians were murdered with “extreme cruelty”.
Delivering his remarks before the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, the pontiff expressed deep concern over the ongoing violence in Nigeria and the suffering of affected communities.
The Pope prayed for “security, justice, and peace” to prevail in the country and offered special intercession for the rural Christian communities in Benue, whom he described as “relentless victims of violence.”
The attack occurred in Yelwata, a border town between Benue and Nasarawa states, where suspected herdsmen reportedly stormed the community late Friday night.
Angry youths on Sunday stormed the Wurukum food basket roundabout to protest the killing. The protesters converged on the Wurukum food basket roundabout in Makurdi as early as 8 am to demand action over the alleged killing on Saturday in Yelwata.
They were later joined by a social media influencer, Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.
In a statement, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to Benue State.
He said on the president’s directive, intelligence chiefs, the police and the military have arrived in the state to direct security operations and restore sanity.
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