The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) has said there was no attempt by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to abduct former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, from the Kuje Custodial Centre.
The Comptroller General, NCS, Haliru Nababa, stated this, yesterday, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, over a petition by the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), alleging that the EFCC and DSS attempted to forcefully remove Emefiele from custody.
Nababa, who was represented by the Assistant Controller-General in Charge of Operations, Nwakeze Emmanuel, told the panel that the service was not aware of any such attempt. He said: “As far as we are concerned, we are not aware of any alleged attempt to forcefully release Dr Emefiele. Emefiele is still in our custody, bubbling.”
However, the Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), told the lawmakers that it was inappropriate to entertain the petition, as it relates to a matter subsisting in court. The CESJET said it would explore the option of filing a contempt proceeding against the security agencies for not obeying the court order on Emefiele.
A representative of the group, Ahmed Tijani, told journalists, on the sideline of the hearing, that “we are not here to challenge the matter in court, but to report the alleged attempt to forcefully remove Emefiele by EFCC from the Correctional Centre.”
Tahir had stated that “it is a case of contempt as it is being alleged. I thought the appropriate forum to ventilate that issue should be before the honourable court other than bring it before this committee, given the sub judice nature of this case.
“The court made an order admitting him to bail on conditions which, to the best of our knowledge, he is yet to fulfil the bail conditions. The correctional centre can confirm that he (Emefiele) is in their custody ostensibly because of the reason for non-fulfilment of the bail conditions.”
Consequently, the Committee Chairman, Mike Etaba, dismissed the petition on the grounds that it was sub judice.
“This matter is in court, we can’t forge ahead with this matter because it is sub judice to us. This matter is, hereby, dismissed from this committee.”
