By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Justice for Emefiele Group (JEG) has said that placing Mrs. Margaret Emefiele, the wife of former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, on the wanted list by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is the height of injustice. The group said it is “peeved at the grave injustice being meted out to a fellow Nigerian in the last one year,” adding its members”have come together to campaign against it.”
The group said, having tracked the matter from late 2022 when the naira redesign was initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari to June 10, 2023, when the former CBN governor was marched away from his Lagos home, and to the recent historic court ruling against the EFCC, it is more than convinced today that the Emefiele case is an unconscionable political witch-hunt. The JEG said no to what it described as this grave injustice.
A statement from the group signed by Sagir Abubakar and captioned “Mrs. Emefiele not a wanted person,” read: “While we have quietly followed the vengeful charade in the guise of trying a former apex bank governor, the recent ruling by an FCT Federal High Court voiding EFCC’S declaration of Mrs. Margaret Emefiele as a wanted person has reinforced our conviction and cleared any doubt whatsoever that the trial of Godwin Emefiele is nothing but naked vendetta. Somebody in government obviously wants to hunt down and destroy Mr. Godwin Emefiele by any means possible.
“In February, the EFCC had declared Mrs. Emefiele wanted, posting her photograph on its official website and causing the news to go viral across the world. But Mrs. Emefiele had approached the court, deposing that her fundamental rights had been infringed upon as she was never invited by EFCC and neither was she in hiding.
“Ruling recently, the court averred that, indeed, the EFCC had violated several statutes in the realms of human rights, not the least the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
“The court made a particularly strong statement that the EFCC had declared Mrs. Emefiele wanted ‘without any valid charge and/or court order to that effect.’ One cannot, therefore, help but impute an ill motive by the EFCC in this instance.
“The court made numerous punitive orders against the EFCC, which include: That EFCC must issue a public apology to Mrs. Emefiele in national newspapers; EFCC must immediately withdraw the name and photo of Mrs. Emefiele from the list of wanted persons on its website; the EFCC must pay a fine of N3 million to Mrs. Margaret Emefiele for the violation of her fundamental human rights.”
The Justice for Emefiele Group said that injustice to one is injustice to all. The statement further reads: “Nigerians seem to look on as the APC government of President Bola Tinubu unleashes grave injustice on Godwin Emefiele. Many Nigerians know that what is at issue here is the extension of APC 2023 succession politics.
“Though Emefiele is the victim and, indeed, a mere pawn on the APC power chessboard, yet the world looks on as he is unjustly criminalised and hounded since the beginning of the Tinubu administration. Though we are concerned about the sorry situation of Mr. Emefiele, we are at once elated that his year-long investigation and trial-without-evidence has proved him to be public servant of integrity. Emefiele’s travails seem to make him larger by the day while his traducers are shrinking.”
The group chronicled the “unjust and vindictive actions” against the former CBN governor, stating:
“Emefiele was ‘captured’ from his Lagos residence and flown to Abuja on June 10, 2O23; he was unlawfully detained for the following six months up until December 2023,
“He was unlawfully removed from his tenured job as governor, CBN; he was accused of financing terrorism, gun-running, opening over 500 foreign bank accounts, running up over N30 trillion ways and means in eight years,
“He was accused of obtaining by false pretence, criminal breach of trust and more; these accusations against him were a priori, without evidence of any wrongdoing; it was only after months of intense investigations and scrutiny that charges were dredged up against him.
“An armada of investigators were unleashed on him, starting from the Department of State Service (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Police (NFIU), a Special Investigator, Deloitte, the number one auditing firm in the world, among others. Yet, over a dozen times, at every hearing, charges have been amended in court.
“Even more asinine is the unleashing of the APC media machine on Emefiele. They have deployed high-wire propaganda, media trial, facts tweaking, underhand slanting and ugly twisting of issues and hyping of falsified (‘investigation’ reports), in the bid to hack down a hapless victim.
“They have also deployed such investigative sleight of hand like extended detention, solitary confinement, emotional blackmail (e.g. declaring wife and in-laws wanted), forum shopping in courts between Abuja and Lagos.”
Justice for Emefiele Group alleged assets stripping, saying: “The current tactic is to use friendly courts to strip Emefiele of some of his hard-earned assets. An accomplished banker, Emefiele put over 30 years in the banking profession, rising to the pinnacle as MD/CEO in one of the biggest and best banks in Nigeria before he was head-hunted to lead Nigeria’s apex bank, CBN.
Emefiele was already a wealthy man before he was appointed CBN governor. Today, all assets connected to him are being hijacked via forfeiture because he wouldn’t plead them away.”
“Finally, it is common knowledge that at the bottom of Emefiele’s travails is his taking directive from erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari to redesign Nigeria’s currency notes at the nick of the 2O23 presidential election. President Buhari has explained umpteenth time that he directed the redesign to deter vote buyers and ensure the election was free and fair. But the APC presidential candidate, now President of Nigeria, took the naira redesign personal.
“He deemed it an attempt to scuttle his ambition. He thought Emefiele was the mastermind, therefore, the relentless attempt to bring him to nought. But it is said that statesmen are magnanimous in victory; quick to put political feuds behind them and embrace even political opponents. It hasn’t been so with President Tinubu.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we members of the Justice for Emefiele Group hereby advise that it’s not late to play the statesman card in the Emefiele case. Pardon, amnesty and nolle prosequi are all in order to put the matter to rest. Especially after one year of no headway. We are of the opinion that the continued trial of Emefiele is an ill wind that will blow no one any good. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.”
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