- NBA, Fayose, Ubani fault inter-agency brawl
The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday said it had begun probing Tuesday’s brawl between its personnel and officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The secret police has been under fire following videos showing it roughing up an NCoS Commander after the court granted suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele bail.
The agency re-arrested Emefiele after forcibly preventing the NCoS from enforcing the order of Justice Nicholas Oweibo remanding the banker at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos.
Spokesman of the Service, Dr. Peter Afunanya, in a statement, described the incident as unfortunate, saying the DSS was a professional organisation.
Read Also: BREAKING: DSS re-arrests Emefiele at court as Correctional Centre withdraws
He added that the Service had respect for the judiciary and would not undermine it.
But Afunanya insisted that the DSS had not broken any laws in handling Emefiele’s case.
He said: “While noting that the personnel from both agencies exhibited undue overzealousness, the Service has further initiated detailed investigations into the matter.
“This is with a view to identifying the role played by specific persons as well as undertaking disciplinary actions if necessary and drawing some lessons going forward.
“For emphasis, the DSS has not broken any laws in handling the Emefiele case despite efforts by some elements to skew the narratives to the contrary.
“The Service had since alerted the public of sinister plots to discredit its leadership.”
But the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and other stakeholders condemned the incident and called for prompt action against security agents responsible.
NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) described the incident as “despicable”, “shameful and disgraceful”, saying it was “evidence of the lack of discipline and absence of professionalism that continues to plague key security institutions in Nigeria.”
Maikyau warned in a statement that “A situation where officers of Federal Government agencies engage in a fight as witnessed by the public, for whatever reason, is antithetical to our security as a nation and creates a recipe for anarchy and chaos.
“The NBA further condemns the brazen disrespect for the sanctity of the court premises.
“The courts and judicial processes remain the barometer by which the conduct of persons or agencies of government are gauged in assessing the rule of law.”
He called for immediate disciplinary measures against the officers involved and an overhaul of their institutions and personnel.
A former NBA Vice President, Mr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani accused the DSS of disobedience to court orders and urged President Bola Tinubu to enforce the rule of law.
Ubani, in a statement, said: “Their (DSS) penchant and impunity in disobeying court orders need the bold condemnation of the Nigerian Bar Association to nip their contempt for the rule of law in the bud.
“We do not need to patronise them at all as they are hell-bent on destroying the rule of law and by extension our hard-won democracy.
“I believe that President Bola Tinubu’s government owes Nigerians the onerous responsibility to toe the line of rule of law and obedience to court orders under his government.”
Emefiele’s brother, George, also condemned the fight over custody of the embattled CBN chief, saying it was a disgrace.
George said: “It is unfortunate that this is happening in Nigeria, a democratic nation that is blessed with people of integrity.
“Three courts have said release him on bail, he is not running away, he served this nation for nine years, all his life was in Nigeria here.
“You can imagine where two Federal Government apparatuses are fighting themselves. This is a disgrace to this nation.”
“The court has given its order, obey the court. If you have anything (against the order), go to court. You have gone to a magistrate’s court to collect an order, yet you are not obeying a high court order. This is completely wrong, it is insane!”
Fayose, in a Twitter post, demanded that the DSS personnel that participated in the “show of shame should be promptly brought to book. More so that it happened within the sacred premises of the court.
“Most importantly, restructuring of the organisation is imperative for a Nigeria that is desirous of deepening democratic governance.”
Activist-lawyer Inibehe Effiong also faulted the DSS, statutorily known as the State Security Service (SSS), for disregarding a court order.
He tweeted: “Section 287 (3) of the Constitution is clear. The order of the Federal High Court has binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Once a court has made a positive pronouncement, it takes immediate effect.
“The order of Justice Oweibo remanding Godwin Emefiele cannot be subjected to any administrative review or process…
“The SSS had no justification in law for their irresponsible action. Assuming without conceding that the SSS has a fresh charge or case against Emefiele, they should have first obeyed the order of Justice Oweiwo.
“Emefiele has been in their custody for a long time. Whatever case(s) they have against him should have been investigated and concluded by now.
“If they wanted to arraign him afresh, all that they needed to do was to file the fresh charge, apply for a production warrant from the court and cause it to be served on the Correctional Service who will then produce Emefiele in court to answer to the fresh charges.
“The Gestapo conduct of the SSS is consistent with their shameful history of lawlessness.”
Effiong said while Nigerians want accountability, “this must be done without desecration of the judiciary; the same judiciary that will have a final say on whether Emefiele is guilty or not”.