From Fred Itua, Abuja
More reactions have continued to trail Thursday’s judgement by an FCT High court stopping the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting, detaining or inviting the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over charges of terrorism financing and economic crimes.
A member of the governing board of the National Human Right commission Jideani C Jideani in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja at the weekend described the judgment as another triumph of rule of law, even as he asked the SSS and other security agencies to obey and respect the decision of the court.
The human rights lawyer in a statement he entitled “Emefiele, SSS and the rule of law, the right option”, said: “Dealing timeously with an applications for the enforcement of the fundamental Rights of Emefiele was a victory for the rule of law.
He specifically asked the SSS to obey and respect the recent decision of the FCT High Court which barred the agency and other security agencies from arresting, detaining or inviting Emefiele for questioning over alleged terrorism and other crimes.
Jideani emphasised that Chief Justice John Tosho of the Federal High Court and Honourable Justice MA Hassan of the High court of the FCT, deserve commendation for the expeditious manner in the handling of this application.
According to him, “this is what Human Rights Activists and indeed the NBA have been clamouring for. One prays that this should be accorded to all applicants under the FREP Rules irrespective of status or standing in society.
“Dealing timeously with an application for the enforcement of fundamental rights is a victory for the rule of law.
“The SSS is a creation of the law and should be subject to the laws of the land.
“Godwin Emefiele is not above the law, but he should not be placed below the law.
“The Nigerian Constitution is founded on the rule of law the primary meaning of which is that law. It means also that government should be conducted within the framework of recognized rules and principles which restrict discretionary power.
“The rule of law means that disputes as to the legality of acts of government are to be decided by judges who are wholly independent of the executive. That is the position in this country where the judiciary has been made independent of the executive by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The judiciary cannot shirk its sacred responsibility to the nation to maintain the rule of law. It is in the interest of the government and all persons in Nigeria. The law should be even-handed between the government and citizens.” per Andrews Otutu Obaseki, Jsc in the Military Governor of Lagos State & Ors V. Ojukwu & Anor? (1986) LPELR 3186(SC).
“In the first case, the SSS had filed an ex parte application for an order for the arrest of the CBN governor over alleged “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.”