Emefiele: Coalition seeks suspension of DSS boss over agency’s ‘IPOB lawyers’ gaffe

A coalition of lawyers under the aegis of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, has said that the allegation by Department of State Services, DSS that the lawyers defending suspended Governor of Central Bank, CBN Godwin Emefiele are IPOB members, is provocative and anti-igbo.

There was outrage nationwide yesterday over allegation by Department of State Services, DSS that the lawyers defending suspended Governor of Central Bank, CBN Godwin Emefiele are IPOB members.

The Department of State Services on Tuesday described the lawyers who filed contempt charges against DSS Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, over the continued detention of embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele as “charge and bail lawyers”.

The service in a series of tweets posted via its official handle noted that the lawyers were headed by an “overzealous and uninformed IPOB/ESN lawyer”.

The secret police said: “Charge and bail, overzealous uninformed IPOB/ESN lawyer Maxwell Okpara mobilises other like-minded lawyers against DG.SSS. Futile Efforts. Well, Nigerians, beware! This is in bad faith. Transferred aggression. A Biafran Republic agitator and Outlawed IPOB counsel defending the suspended CBN Governor. Is IPOB defending one of theirs.”

Reacting to what it describes as “unprofessional conduct and ethnic profiling by the DSS,” the coalition of lawyers in a statement signed by Tijani Ahmed and Maxwell Opara demanded sack of director general of DSS, Yusuf Bichi, saying that the DSS is anti-igbo, and outburst is evidence that Emefiele is being held on personal vendetta.

They noted that the DSS statement is an insult to the sacred institution of the judiciary, hence President Bola Tinubu should ensure the suspension or sack of the DG for such unprofessional conduct.

The lawyers wondered why and how the secret police arrived at the baseless conclusion that the lawyers are IPOB members.

They added that the outburst is part of their plans to silence Emefiele’s lawyers because they clearly have nothing against him.

The groups said: “The DSS is clearly frustrated. They have nothing against Emefiele. This is just an example of kettle calling pot black. A rogue agency who at several occasions refused to obey court orders, is pointing fingers at someone else.

“How can an intelligence agency, write this kind of trash on her official Twitter handle? A total disgrace. A nation’s secret police tweeting something so irresponsible. The APC led government need to prove to Nigerians that the DSS is an agency of the nation not the political elite by sacking Yusuf Bichi now!!!. We are waiting, the international community is watching. This is disgraceful. We won’t tolerate any disrespect to the judiciary.”