From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The recent judgment by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja restraining the Department of State Security (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has divided northern groups.
While a group known as Concern Northern Forum (CNF) asked the EFCC to appeal the judgment to enable it to do its job, another group known as Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) called for sanction of any individual or group attempting to go against the court’s decision.
In a text read before newsmen at Arewa House by the Spokesperson for CNF, Abdulsalam Moh’d Kazeem, the group asked the DSS to ignore and immediately appealed the federal high court injunction and go ahead with their planned arrest of Mr. Emefele in the interest of National security.
“As patriots who wish to always stand on the path of righteousness, we won’t take sides with those calling for the sack of the DSS boss but rather ask that he should be allowed to carry out his duties without interference by anybody.
“Those asking the DG to give details of Emefiele’s underhand dealings should know that security is a tactical issue and evidence can’t be made public so that criminals won’t be alerted and made to destroy evidence.
“Mr. Godwin Emefiele should as a matter of urgency be relieved of his duties as the Governor of the apex bank (CBN), as his character and integrity are already questioned.
“His involvement in partisan politics and the spurious investments he has made even in some Nigerian banks makes him unfit to continue as CBN Governor as this contravenes the CBN Act and other extant laws.
“The allegations by Hon. Mohammed Gudaji Kazaure concerning the misappropriation and diversion of stamp duty funds as well as other financial crimes require in-depth investigation.
“It is our position that the CBN Governor should turn himself into the DSS for questioning, possible arrest, and detention. Failure to do so should be met by a forceful arrest and detention in one of Nigeria’s maximum security prison facilities”, he said.
But in a swift reaction, Publicity Secretary of AYA, Ali Mohammed in a statement asked the CNF and others to channel their energy towards something productive and more beneficial to the wellbeing of the country and leave the apex bank man alone.
“We understand that since the introduction of BVAS in our elections and the signing of the 2022 Electoral Act by President Muhammadu Buhari, election riggers resorted to vote buying, which is a major challenge to election stakeholders.
“The CBN introduced new policies to fight election rigging through vote buying and equally fight the multi-billion naira kidnapping for ransom. Since then, stakeholders in the two demonic enterprises have continued to sponsor attacks on the CBN Governor.
“Nigerians are aware that Sheik Gumi was caught on video telling his audience that they are looking for a President that will negotiate with their fighters (referring to bandits now designated as terrorists) in our forests.
“Rather than this misguided youths to call for his arrest, they are looking for the sponsor of terrorism in Emefiele.
“The misguided group in its jejune attributed some sort of high-powered intelligence gathering potential to the DSS as if Nigerians are not aware that it was this same type of intelligence gathering that led to the forceful removal of Justice Walter Akanu Onnoghen as CJN, afterward, he wasn’t convicted of any wrongdoing.
“The continued attack on officeholders from the Southern part of the country with reckless abandonment is the greatest threat to our national cohesion.
“We want to call on the FCT High Court to be prompt in ensuring that whoever disobeys its valid order is committed to imprisonment. The same should be applied to those encouraging the DSS to do so”, he opined.