Falana said that even if the DSS has obtained a court order to detain Emefiele and Bawa, the order cannot last for long
PUNCH
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged the Department of State Services to hasten the investigation into the cases involving the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, and the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
Emefiele was arrested on June 10 by officials of the DSS over charges surrounding terrorism financing, while Bawa was arrested over allegations of abuse of office.
Falana made the call while featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme on Friday night
He said, “Under the administration of Criminal Justice Act if you’re going to detain a Nigerian beyond 24 hours in places where there are no courts within a radius of 40km{like Lagos and Abuja), you’re required to approach a Magistrate court to ask for a remand order to allow for investigation.”
Falana said that even if the DSS has obtained a court order to detain Emefiele and Bawa, the order cannot last for long.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged the Nigerian government to handle the cases in line with the provisions of the law to avoid a situation whereby loopholes are exploited.
