If Its illegal to possess a gun, what has DSS done to the person threatening Nigerians?–Lawyers

A group of human rights lawyers expressed their dissatisfaction with the arrest and prolonged detention of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele. In response, they initiated contempt action against the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Yusuf Bichi.

The legal practitioners filed Form 48, which serves as a notification of the consequences of disobedience to a court order, and Form 49, which seeks to commit the alleged contemnor to prison. These actions were taken before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja.

The group of lawyers, led by Mr. Maxwell Opara and Ahmed Tijani, accused the DSS boss of disregarding existing court judgments regarding Emefiele’s arrest and detention. They pointed out that the DSS acted in violation of a court order issued by Justice M. A. Hassan, which restrained them from arresting, detaining, or interrogating the embattled CBN governor for offenses related to terrorism financing, money laundering, round tripping, and national security crimes.

According to Emefiele’s lawyers, the DSS failed to appeal or set aside the court order and instead proceeded to arrest and detain Emefiele for over a month while attempting to gather evidence.

He added: “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 lawyer added.

The group further accused the DSS of disobeying judgments delivered by Justice Hamza Muazu and Justice Bello Kawu of the high court, which also restrained Emefiele’s arrest. They vowed to pursue the matter to ensure that public offices are not misused for personal vendettas.

Recalling the events leading to Emefiele’s detention, it was on June 10 when he was arrested at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos, a day after his suspension as the governor of the CBN by President Tinubu. He has since remained in custody, with the DSS claiming that his detention was based on the order of an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court. Emefiele faces charges of illegal possession of firearms, specifically a single-barrel shotgun without a license and 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a license, recovered during a search of his residence. The group of lawyers considers these charges as bailable offenses and intends to challenge the legality of his detention.

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Source:Vanguard paper

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