60 lawyers file contempt charge against DSS DG for violating court judgments
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A group of human rights lawyers has filed in court a contempt charge against Department of State Services (DSS) Director General Yusuf Bichi over the continued detention of suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, despite a court order for his release.
Form 48 (notification of consequences of disobedience to a court order), and Form 49 (seeking to commit an alleged contemnor to prison), were filed at the Abuja Federal High Court.
An affidavit attached to the applications by the group of 60 lawyers, led by Maxwell Opara and Ahmed Tijani, accused Bichi of disobeying subsisting court judgments over Emefiele’s arrest and detention.
The lawyers claimed the DSS acted in breach of a judgment of the court delivered by Judge M. A. Hassan which restrained the arrest, detention or interrogation of Emefiele for offences connected to terrorism financing, money laundering and round tripping as well as financial crimes of national security dimension.
They said, without appealing to set aside the court order, the respondents proceeded to arrest and detain Emefiele “for well over a month while shopping for evidence.”
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Disobedience of court judgments
After the applications were filed on Monday, Opara told journalists the respondents disobeyed judgments delivered by Judge Hamza Muazu and Judge Bello Kawu of the High Court which also stopped Emefiele’s arrest, per reporting by Vanguard.
Opara vowed the group will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion to ensure public offices are not used for personal vendetta.
He described as “ridiculous” the charge of illegal possession of firearms the DSS entered against Emefiele before a Lagos Federal High Court, and stressed the allegations are bailable offences.
“If possessing a validly registered pump action gun is a crime worthy of being held in perpetuity, what has the SSS done to the person threatening Nigerians from a particular section of the country with an assault rifle?
“This clearly shows the travail of Mr. Emefiele is more for political reasons than for any other.”
The DSS arrested Emefiele at his home in Ikoyi, Lagos on June 10, a day after he was suspended as CBN Governor by President Bola Tinubu.
He has since remained in custody, with the DSS explaining his detention is based on the order of an Abuja Chief Magistrate’s Court.
In a two-count charge levelled by the secret police, Emefiele is accused of unlawfully possessing one single barrel shotgun (Jojeff Magnum 8371) without licence, an offence under Section 4 of the Firearms Laws of the Federation Act 2004, punishable under Section 27 (1) (b) (i) of the same Act.
He is also accused of having in his possession 123 rounds of live ammunition (catridges) without licence.
The DSS told the court the items were recovered from Emefiele’s residence.