CSO joins call for DSS DG sacking

A civil society organisation, the Justice Centre, has joined the call for the sacking of the Director-General of the State Security Services, Yusuf Bichi, for undermining the authority of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

The group made its position known at its end-of-the-year briefing on Tuesday, where it stated its views on the failed plot by the SSS to frame the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, as a terrorist.

The Centre said the sacking of the DG would serve as a deterrent for other heads of security agencies not to undermine the authority of the President.

“The Justice Centre finds no other option but to join the mounting call for the immediate sacking of the Director-General of the State Security Services, Mr. Yusuf Bichi, from office to serve as deterrent for any person in government contemplating undermining the authority of the President,” the group said.

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The group also hailed the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, for his uncommon bravery and courage, in declining to grant the ex-parte application brought by the SSS, seeking to arrest and detain the CBN governor for at least 60 days.

In a ruling delivered by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, who declined the application to grant the order for lack of evidence, absence of authorisation of the President for the application to be brought, and for being an irregular procedure which was unacceptable to the court.

The group’s Director, Kingdom Okere, commended Justice Tsoho for standing firm in defence of the rule of law, despite planned intimidation and harassment of the court by the secret police, while stating, “Furthermore, the State Security Services must have known they did not have any credible evidence against the CBN governor but for political and pecuniary reasons, insisted on turning the rule of law upside-down. Otherwise, what could be the possible reason President Muhammadu Buhari would not have been informed of such grave allegations of terrorism financing against the central bank governor, when the President was in the country and in the same city of Abuja the same date the suit was filed.”

The group added that the whole world would be looking forward to the reaction of the President over the recurrent attacks on his promise to deliver credible, free and fair elections come 2023.