The Department of State Services (DSS) retains confidence it would still arrest the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, despite intense protection from men of the Nigerian Army.
The DSS is chasing after the apex bank boss over allegations of terrorism financing and misappropriation of public funds and attempts to arrest him have been foiled by the military authorities which provide soldiers to protect the CBN governor both at home and in office.
However, reports suggested that while the CBN Governor enjoys protection from the military, the DSS has stepped up investigation into his activities with a view to completely nailing him.
Sources also said that the secret police are struggling to win over Buhari on the need to arrest and prosecute Emefeiele given his gross misdemeanours.
An online news outlet Premier Times recently published a story capturing details of the document DSS’s filed before the court for the arrest of Emefiele.
The DSS alleged that Emefiele is funding the activities of the outlawed secessionist group Independent People of Biafra IPOB.
In the report by the online medium, Emefiele was also accused of sabotaging President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, financing terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism, and committing other economic crimes with effect of undermining Nigeria’s national security.
It also accused the CBN governor of mismanaging the CBN subsidiary, NIRSAL, and the central bank’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.
The DSS alleged that Emefiele funded IPOB/ESN with both the resources he raised for his failed presidential bid last year and funds diverted from government coffers.
The secret government agency also accused Emefiele of “fraud, money laundering, round tripping and conferment of financial benefit to self and others.”
It said he mismanaged various interventionist funds of the government under his control and concluded that “investigation is still ongoing on a wider scale as other members of the syndicate chain need to be identified and arrested to enable successful prosecution.”
