Renowned civil society group Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LDD) has praised the recent judgment by Hon. Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court, which invalidated the arrest, detention, and interrogation of the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

In a press release issued in Abuja following the court’s ruling on Friday, Mr. Kingdom Okere Esq., the Convener of the group, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dispel any notions that Mr. Emefiele’s detention was politically motivated. Okere urged President Tinubu to direct the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to fully comply with the court’s orders without delay.

According to the statement, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must demonstrate to the world that the arrest and detention of Mr. Godwin Emefiele by the DSS for over a month is not politically motivated. He should instruct the Director General of the DSS to promptly and fully implement the orders of Justice Bello Kawu, thereby dispelling the widespread belief that the arrest and detention were politically motivated.”

Mr. Okere also recalled that the group had previously questioned the validity of Mr. Emefiele’s arrest by the DSS, given the existing judgment of Justice M. A. Hassan, which had ordered his release, deeming the DSS’s actions unlawful. He expressed relief that the group’s concerns were vindicated by the recent judgment of the FCT Court.

The Human Rights lawyer also urged President Tinubu not to be distracted by those seeking to provoke conflicts with his political opponents. Highlighting President Tinubu’s own experience as a victim of political persecution, Okere emphasized the need for his government to avoid directly or indirectly persecuting any individual.

In concluding the statement, Okere called on the President to prioritize addressing the country’s faltering economy, which has witnessed the continuous depreciation of the Naira. He cited the Pound Sterling, which now exceeds N1,000 for the first time in the country’s history, compared to the approximately N930 exchange rate prior to Mr. Emefiele’s suspension. Okere emphasized that the President’s focus should be on the nation’s struggling economy rather than engaging in political vendettas.

Source: Blueprint