The Department of State Services (DSS) has said that it obtained a court order to detain the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, since June 14, 2023.
A legal representative of the DSS in several court proceedings, I. Awo, made this known to THE WHISTLER on Sunday.
Recall that Bawa was detained by the DSS after he was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu.
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But his continued detention without trial has drawn the attention of civil society organisations and several Nigerians, who are accusing the secret service of violating rule of law at will.
In line with relevant laws, security agencies are mandated to obtain bench warrant or detention order from a court of competent jurisdiction prior to detaining any suspect.
Regarding Bawa’s continued detention, Awo replied THE WHISTLER’s inquiry on the development in a short message, maintaining, “There is a Court Order backing his detention.”
As of the time of this report, no further information was provided as per the court order, after THE WHISTLER pressed for more details on the detention order.
That being stated, today makes it over 50 days that Bawa was detained and is yet to be arraigned or tried on any offense known to law.
Another political appointee also being detained is the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
But when the secret service was taken to an FCT High Court over his detention without trial, the DSS explained that it obtained a detention order to detain him for further investigation from a Magistrate court.
The FCT High Court confirmed the said detention order but faulted his prolonged detention while giving the DSS a seven days ultimatum to either sue Emefiele or free him.
The following day, the DSS charged the embattled CBN governor over illegal possession of firearms.