The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, will not be prosecuted by the Nigerian government following his arrest by the Department of State Service (DSS).
According to a report by THE WHISTLER, security and government sources told the newspaper that Emefiele would be removed as CBN governor after his investigation.
The revelation followed controversies surrounding the arrest and detention of Emefiele after he was suspended from office on Friday evening.
Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu over an ongoing investigation of his office. He was subsequently arrested by the DSS.
The DSS had, however, denied detaining him in a tweet on Saturday, raising eyebrows as to his whereabouts.
However, THE WHISTLER reports that the suspended CBN governor was arrested at about 2 am on Saturday from his residence, contrary to earlier reports that he was arrested Friday evening.
Multiple sources with details of his arrest told THE WHISTLER that Emefiele is still in the custody of the DSS, and the denial by the agency is a part of the exit plan for him to escape without facing prosecution.
A source said: “They cannot prosecute him because if he starts to mention names, Nigeria will catch fire. So, he had to be suspended so they can now come to the media to say, he is being investigated.
“He will soon be left to go and asked to leave the country for now. So, the DSS has to deny he is in their custody to avoid questions from Nigerians on the fate of the CBN governor after his arrest.
“But, the idea is to let him go, and at the moment he is in their custody, located near the Villa. This move is just a way to remove him and this was the best opportunity.”
Other sources corroborated the claims.
THE WHISTLER also reports that the CBN governor knew he would be removed during his recent closed-door meeting with the president at the Villa.
“The meeting they had was to resolve their exit plan and nothing more. Many more heads of security departments will be removed from office soon, in the guise of being investigated.
“So, the DSS has to deny he is in their custody because of the plan,” another source said.
Many Nigerians have applauded the president for suspending Emefiele as they recount the unfavorable policies of the CBN under him and how it adversely affected them in past years.
