Acting upon an application made by Godwin Emefiele himself, the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo has declared the arrest and detention of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), null and void. On Friday, July 14, 2023, Justice Bello Kawu presided over the case and granted the order.
The series of events leading to this ruling can be traced back to June 9 when President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele from his position as CBN governor. Emefiele was directed to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the deputy governor of the operations directorate.
The following day, the Department of State Services (DSS) made it known that Emefiele was under their custody due to an ongoing investigation. Since early June, Emefiele has remained detained by the DSS, with the agency asserting that they possessed a legally valid court order justifying his detention.