According to reports, the Department of State Services (DSS) has obtained an ex parte order from the court to detain Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Abdulrasheed Bawa, the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for longer than the 48 hours specified in Section 35 of the Constitution.
According to a government source who spoke with The PUNCH, the DSS's action was intended to prevent the suspect from suing to protect his fundamental human rights.
The source said;
“The DSS obtained an ex parte order from the court during the week to continue the detention of Emefiele beyond 48 hours so that his lawyers would not file a lawsuit claiming that his fundamental rights are being trampled upon. You know he’s not supposed to be detained beyond 48 hours, according to the Constitution.“The Service also got a similar order on Thursday concerning Bawa’s detention to enable it to conclude interrogation and investigation over the allegations levelled against him.”
Following an inquiry, the DSS spokesperson, Dr. Peter Afunaya, declined to comment on the development.
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