THE Department of State Services (DSS) has denied any wrongdoing following the rearrest of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele after he was granted a bail by a federal high court.
Emefiele was arrested minutes after he was granted bail by the Lagos high court in Ikoyi, on Tuesday, July 25.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 26 by its spokesman Peter Afunanya, the DSS said it has not broken any laws in the way it is handling Emefiele’s case.
This reaction came in response to widespread public outcry following the faceoff between operatives of the DSS and Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) on Tuesday.
The ICIR had reported the physical altercation between operatives of the DSS and NCoS in front of the courtroom where the suspended CBN governor was arraigned.
The two agencies clashed over the custody of the suspended CBN boss, who pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned over gun possession charges. The court had after granting Emefiele bail, ordered his remand in the custody of the NCoS, pending when he meets the bail conditions.
But the DSS, which held Emefiele since it arrested him, overpowered the NCoS operatives and rearrested the suspended apex bank governor.
Many Nigerians, particularly on Twitter, showed their displeasure over the incident, describing it as a ‘show of shame’.
Reacting to the development in a statement, the DSS alleged that there is a ‘sinister plot’ to discredit its leadership.
The Service insisted that it did not break any law.
“For emphasis, the DSS has not broken any laws in handling the Emefiele case despite efforts by some elements to skew the narratives to the contrary. The Service had since alerted the public of sinister plots to discredit its leadership. In pursuit of its assignments, it will strive to remain professional, maintain ethical standards and high sense of discipline,” the statement said.
The DSS further described the incident as unfortunate, noting that it has a high respect the judiciary.
“The incident was unfortunate and does not in any way reflect the professional disposition of the DSS. The Service did not and would never encourage the incident under reference.
“The Service has tremendous respect for the judiciary as an arm and institution of government and will not go out of its way to undermine it. The DSS recognises the judiciary as a critical component in nation building, national development and security management. Also, the Service has robust working relationship with sister security and law enforcement agencies including the NCoS.”
The DSS further said it has initiated detailed investigations into the matter, vowing to undertake disciplinary actions against the officers involved.
“While noting that the personnel from both agencies exhibited undue overzealousness, the Service has further initiated detailed investigations into the matter. This is with a view to identifying the role played by specific persons as well as undertaking disciplinary actions if necessary and drawing some lessons going forward.”
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M