Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), claimed that the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, will not face prosecution due to the involvement of other high-profile individuals.
Sowore argued that if Emefiele were to be tried for his alleged offenses, it would implicate former President Muhammadu Buhari, several All Progressive Congress (APC) stakeholders, governors, senators, and other influential personalities.
Taking to Twitter, Sowore described Emefiele’s continued detention by the Department of State Security (DSS) as a tactic to protect those in power.
He compared the situation to the case of former National Security Officer Sambo Dasuki in 2015, suggesting that Emefiele’s charges were merely a means to bury his true criminal offenses.
Sowore further stated that prosecuting Emefiele for his financial crimes, economic sabotage, money laundering, terrorism financing involvement, and FX round-tripping would potentially implicate numerous individuals, including Buhari, APC leaders, state governors, senators, media practitioners, military and police top brass, DSS officials, EFCC personnel, and civil society leaders.
While negotiations are reportedly ongoing, Sowore characterized the current charges against Emefiele as a “holding charge” before his eventual release, provided he cooperates.In a separate development, the Nigerian Government filed a two-count charge against Emefiele at the Federal High Court in Lagos Division, accusing him of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The charge sheet dated July 13, 2023, alleged that Emefiele possessed a single-barrel shotgun without a license, contravening the Firearms Act.
Emefiele had been arrested on June 10, 2023, following his suspension by President Bola Tinubu.
