Popular human rights attorney Femi Falana has urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to quicken the investigation into the cases involving Abdulrasheed Bawa, the temporarily suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Emefiele was arrested on June 10 by DSS agents on suspicion of financing terrorism, while Bawa was detained on suspicion of misuse of authority.
Speaking on Friday night’s episode of Politics Today on Channels TV, Falana emphasised the significance of upholding the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
He emphasised that the DSS is needed to request a remand order from a Magistrate court for additional investigation if a Nigerian is detained for more than 24 hours in places without courts within a 40-kilometer radius (such as Lagos and Abuja).
Falana emphasised that even if the DSS has a court order detaining Emefiele and Bawa, those orders cannot last indefinitely. In order to prevent potential abuse of legal gaps, he pleaded with the Nigerian government to handle the cases in accordance with the law.
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Investigations ought to be started right away, especially if there are severe claims. The inquiry into the extremely serious claims that have been made won’t be delayed, according to Falana.
The State Security Services claimed last year that Emefiele was involved in financing terrorism in the case at hand. Please act swiftly to address that. Take them to the proper government agencies with regard to money laundering and other violations.
Regarding Abdulrasheed Bawa, Falana admitted the paucity of details regarding the charges levied against him. However, he pleaded with the government or pertinent agencies to quicken the inquiry and, if they are discovered to be complicit, to bring charges against them.
Falana emphasised that both people should be given bail if the required legal requirements are not satisfied to support their incarceration.
