Emefiele allowed access to family, doctors before court order – DSS

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has approved the deployment of the two newly promoted Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIG), Frank Mba and Bala Ciroma to departments.

The Department of State Services (DSS) said on Saturday night the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, had not been denied access to his lawyers and family members.

Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, on Friday, ordered the DSS to grant Emefiele access to his lawyers and family.

The agency arrested Emefiele a few hours after President Bola Tinubu suspended him from office last week.

The DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, who made the clarification in a statement in Abuja, said the agency had complied with its operating procedures in the handling of the matter.

He also alleged that some groups and individuals are planning protests against the DSS and the Federal Government over the suspension and detention of the CBN governor.

READ ALSO: Falana demands Emefiele’s transfer to EFCC for investigation on ‘economic crimes’

The statement read: “It is instructive to state that the Service had granted the family of Emefiele, medical officials, and appropriate persons access to him, right from the day he was taken in and long before the court order requesting so.

“The Service implements Standards Operating Procedures on Suspect Handling and Investigation to the latter. It conducts its affairs transparently and professionally and respects the rule of law in compliance with democratic governance.

“The DSS has identified persons and groups planning to stage campaigns of calumny against it and the government over the suspension and investigation of Mr. Godwin Emefiele.

“Such groups intend to gather at different points in Abuja and Lagos in the coming week with placards depicting the Service and the government in a bad light as well as calling for the immediate release of Emefiele.

“Therefore, the Service is aware of the cheap propaganda aimed at demotivating and distracting it from professionally executing the onerous responsibilities assigned to it.”

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