the Naira redesign policy was intended to thwart My bid for the presidency – Tinubu Gives reason
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been granted study leave by President Muhammadu Buhari…. CONTINUE READING>>>>>
This new development for Emefiele to run away from the country before Buhari leaves office on May 29, 2023, comes amid corruption and terrorism-financing allegations against him.
The country’s secret police, the Department of State Services, is not happy about the prospect of seeing the CBN governor evade justice after they’ve made unsuccessful attempts to apprehend and detain Emefiele in the past over the damning allegations leveled against him…… CONTINUE READING>>>>>
The DSS has refused to accept the study leave granted to Emefiele as it signifies that he will flee the country before May 29 when another government comes in.President elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be sworn in on May 29 barring any court judgement to the contrary as his election victory is being challenged at the election petition tribunal.
The DSS have accused Emefiele of sabotaging the economy, financing terrorism and committing other economic crimes.
Investigations have also linked Emefiele to a well-known terror financier, whom the apex bank governor had sent funds for onward transfer to controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
Gumi is known for mingling with terrorists and bandits and advocating that amnesty should be granted to them.In 2022, Tukur Mamu, one of Gumi’s associates, was apprehended and detained by Interpol at Cairo International Airport in Egypt while awaiting a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia.
While returning to Nigeria, he was apprehended by the DSS over allegations that he was heading to Saudi Arabia to meet with some international terrorists.DSS said their investigations unveiled different acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities perpetrated by Emefiele and his involvement in economic crimes of national security dimension including mismanaging the CBN subsidiary, NISRAL, and the central bank’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.
The secret police has also accused Emefiele of fraud, money laundering, round tripping and conferment of financial benefit to self and others.
The agency looked for a court warrant to apprehend the CBN governor but Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, declined the application, and complained about the procedure adopted by the DSS in its application.
The DSS filed an application as an ex parte motion and demanded permission from court to detain Emefiele for 60 days to finish an ongoing investigation into his alleged crimes.
The application was supported by an affidavit deposed to by a DSS official, Umar Salihu, who summarised the details of the investigations into all the weighty crimes Emefiele committed.
The documents exposed how Emefiele had been funding unknown gunmen terrorizing Southeast Nigeria.
Recall that Emefiele nursed presidential ambition and attempted to contest for the office, on the platform of the ruling APC.Emefiele approached the Delta State High Court sitting in Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State, in order to get an order restraining the apex bank and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from preventing him from contesting in the 2023 presidential election, after facing opposition from some quarters including within the CBN…… CONTINUE READING>>>>>
He later backed down after it was clear that he would have to resign from office as CBN’s governor to contest the presidential primary election of the ruling party.
Also, the DSS had made several attempts to apprehend Emefiele after accusing him of aiding terrorism but a Federal High Court in Maitama, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja issued an order restraining the secret police from arresting the CBN governor.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are also listed as defendants and are subject to Justice M.A. Hassan’s decision.
An earlier application by the DSS to arrest and detain Emefiele due to the serious allegations made against him was denied by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The DSS did not present any hard evidence to support its claims that Emefiele was involved in financing terrorism and economic crimes, according to Justice J. T. Tsoho, the Chief Judge, who denied the secret police’s motion ex parte.
Emefiele left the country during that time and postponed his stay there by claiming to be ill and receiving treatment.
In order to prevent Emefiele from being detained by the DSS upon his return to Nigeria in January 2023 after a few weeks away, Chief of Defence Staff Gen.
Lucky Irabor sent out military personnel and intelligence officers.Emefiele was escorted to the bank by a larger security detail than President Buhari was.
Emefiele is now back in Nigeria. He entered the CBN under heavy security. He was shielded by the military. His security is more extensive than the President’s.
Senator Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker, predicted in March that Bola Tinubu’s administration would make Emefiele’s life miserable.
Emefiele’s life and activities under the new administration, in Sani’s words, will be like a “Zebra in the hands of Tigers.”
After Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, announced Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election, Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th Assembly, made the statement on his Twitter page.
Sani declared, “When Baba is gone, Emefiele will be like Zebra in the hands of Tigers,” referring to the controversy that has surrounded the Naira redesign and cashless policy while Emefiele has been in charge of CBN.
However, Tinubu claimed that the Naira redesign policy was intended to thwart his bid for the presidency…. CONTINUE READING>>>>>
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