The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has characterized as “despicable” the brawl on Tuesday between operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over the custody of suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele.
NBA President Yakubu Maikyau urged the two agencies to take immediate disciplinary action against the personnel implicated in the “disgraceful conduct” in a statement issued on Wednesday.
He described the clash between personnel from the two government agencies on the grounds of the Federal High Court in Lagos as a recipe for anarchy and disorder, calling it a “brazen disrespect for the sanctity of the court premises.”
On Tuesday, the secret police and prison officials wrestled on the court grounds over who would take custody of the suspended and embattled apex bank governor after Justice Nicholas Oweibo granted Emefiele bail in the sum of N20 million.
The judge also ordered Emefiele to be held at the penitentiary facility until the bail requirements were met.
This came after Emefiele, 61, pleaded “not guilty” to the Federal Government’s two counts of illegal possession of a pistol and ammunition. Emefiele, who was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on June 9, 2023, was arrested and detained by the secret police for six weeks before being arraigned.
Shortly after Emefiele’s arraignment and bail, DSS agents carefully positioned the Hilux Pick Up vehicle used to transport him to court, implying that they intended to transport him back to their custody facility, but the suspended CBN governor remained inside the courtroom with his lawyers.
When prison officials sought to arrest Emefiele pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions, the secret police challenged them, resulting in a brawl.
To avoid a gun war, Emefiele’s lawyers “reluctantly allowed the DSS to disobey court order and take custody of their client” during the clash.
The prison authorities then drove away from the court, and the DSS re-arrested Emefiele despite the court’s ruling allowing him bail and remanding him in prison.
In its reaction, the NBA criticized the scuffle and called the DSS operatives’ and prison authorities’ behavior “disgraceful.”
According to the Association, the correctional service and the secret police should collaborate to achieve justice in a safe Nigeria.
“This incident regrettably is further evidence of the lack of discipline and absence of professionalism that continues to plague key security institutions in Nigeria, which, without doubt, is largely responsible for the limited progress in achieving a coordinated response to security concerns across the country,” the statement partly read.
“The NBA further condemns the brazen disrespect for the sanctity of the court premises. The courts and judicial processes remain the barometer by which the conduct of persons or agencies of government are gauged in assessing the rule of law.
“The NBA calls on the two agencies to take immediate disciplinary measures against the officers involved in this disgraceful conduct. In addition, there is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of the institutions and a total reorientation of the personnel, to achieve professionalism and ensure synergy in the discharge of their respective constitutional responsibilities.”
See full statement below:
