The Conference of Nigerian Intellectuals in the United States has accused the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, of human rights breaches in his pending prosecution in Nigeria.
The group, chaired by Dr. Philips Idris, issued a statement on Monday criticizing the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission’s handling of the investigation against the former CBN governor.
Emefiele’s continued detention, according to the group, is “illegal and fiendish.”
Emefiele’s trial has recently begun in Abuja’s High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, with witnesses purportedly clearing him of wrongdoing in the awarding of N1.2bn car supply contracts during his CBN tenure.
Idris stated, using Article 9 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, that “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.”
He stated that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights obligates governments to act in certain ways or refrain from acting in particular ways in order to promote and defend people’ and groups’ human rights and basic freedoms.
However, Idris believes that since the new administration took office, there has been continuous abuse of the rule of law and contempt for the freedom and rights of innocent Nigerians, using Emefiele as an example.
The stamen read in part,
“We have watched with concern and indeed, consternation, the relentless persecution of Mr Godwin Emefiele. Emefiele is currently being sequestered and shackled like a common criminal in Nigeria.
“Several court orders had been secured for his release but they were serially and flagrantly disobeyed by the EFCC and the DSS. Judging by the ferocity with which Emefiele is being pursued, it seems someone wants him dead.
“His traducers are willing to break any law of the land and are dehumanized to punish him for carrying out his statutory duties during his time as governor of CBN.
“He has been denied his freedom and basic rights against both the domestic and international human rights laws. Article 9 of the United Nations Human Rights states that ‘No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
“As concerned citizens in the diaspora, we have decided to draw the attention of the international community to the new reign of terror back home. Our dear country seems to be heading back to dictatorship.
“We are by this statement urging the Nigerian government to do the right thing which is to free Emefiele. We are also warning the EFCC not to erode the confidence of the international community in doing business with us as a nation by violating the fundamental rights of perceived opponents of the Asiwaju Administration.
“Should this plea fall on deaf ears, we will be staging a peaceful protest in the USA and another by our sister organisation in London on Monday (next week)” the group noted.