Gradually, the new government is taking shape and forming character. Last week’s appointment of Service Chiefs and others yields hope to many that Nigeria is retrievable from the abyss the political elite and their business friends have dumped her. There is something heartwarming about the spread, considerable inclusivity in the choices made by President Tinubu. We see a semblance of a president that is beholden to the people, rather than one obligated to cabals or groups.

   
There were symbolic gestures from constituencies as the announcements were made. In Samaru Kataf market, Kaduna South, women took to dancing upon hearing the new Chief of Defence Staff is Major General Christopher Gwabin Musa, one of their sons. These people were served a raw deal for the eight years of the last administration, in the hands of terrorists and bandits.

In the Southeast, tempers flared as the people didn’t quickly connect the name of the new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla. They thought they had again been excluded from the topmost security platform in the land, but as soon as they confirmed, they showered encomiums. These responses are a measure of how lowly the country had sunk. The need to reconcile and unite the country is real.
  
While the appointees owe their selection to the discretion of the Commander-in-Chief and are indebted to the tune of unalloyed loyalty, Nigerians would prefer they add loyalty to country. What we had in the past were security operatives, who saw their appointment as servitude to political authority, rather than service to the fatherland. They go overboard with unnecessary flair for showmanship.
  
One agency that surpassed the rest in this display of crass eye-service is the Department of State Security (DSS). The department has reduced the totality of its essence to the protection of authority from enemies of the state; that is all those persons outside government – labour, students, opposition parties, human rights campaigners- just anybody outside government.

When the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in government, we remember what it used to be. The spokesperson of the DSS became infamous for anti-opposition posturing. There were no tears when she had to go with that government, despite her pretty face.

As usual, every opposition activity since the All Progressives Congress (APC) took office in 2015 was designed to pull down the government, in the reckoning of the DSS. Any attempt by the opposition or members of the civil society to gather under a tree and display leaves and placards is misinterpreted by the DSS as a gathering to pull down the government. Whereas the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guarantees citizens’ right to peaceful association and assembly, the DSS has refused to transition from a pre-1999 militaristic script.

Of particular interest is the recent advisory issued by the DSS regarding the suspended Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele. In that release, the DSS claimed some persons were going to stage protests in Lagos and Abuja to demand the release of Emefiele. Also, it claimed propagandists were going to use disloyal staff of the Service to cause distraction, warning plotters to shelve their plans.
  
If there is one recent matter Nigerians are united on, it is to see that the suspended CBN Governor comes to justice, to answer for his actions while in service. Nigerians are asking for their pound of flesh from the man who put them through very harrowing times in nearly eight years. The naira redesign and cashless policy unveiled towards the end of last year were the most painful. Yet, the judicial process that will bring about that justice should be transparent for all to see. I do not think Nigerians need doctoring of the process by the DSS or the Presidency, in a manner that will dilute the process and outcome.

After a suspect is arrested, he is charged to court within stipulated hours, as defined by the Constitution. If there is reason to remand a suspect, pending conclusion of investigations, the court will so order. In that interim, the suspect could go home unless he or she is considered a high risk.

Last Tuesday, the DSS and office of Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF) told the Federal Capital High Court that Emefiele will flee the country if granted bail. Emefiele had gone to challenge his detention by the DSS and denial to see his family members and lawyers. But they argued that Emefiele cannot go home so he doesn’t run away. The DSS had secured a remand order to keep the man in their custody and he will remain there until July 13, when the court convenes to rule on his application.

While he remains a guest of the DSS, Nigerians do not want to be kept in the dark regarding the details of his arrest, detention and charges, whenever the DSS or OAGF is ready to prosecute. Nigerians, who were affected by the actions of Emefiele while he presided at the CBN, deserve to know what is going on with his case. The reason is that citizens do not trust any process of investigation and prosecution that is not transparent. The man is a public figure and he acted in the capacity of a public officer.

Emefiele was arrested on June 9, graphics of which were seen in an amateur video that went viral. Apart from that sketchy show, those who have him in custody have not deemed it fit to address the media and answer some questions. We are no longer in the days of military when the secret service was notorious for cover ups. While the media is starved of legitimate information on Emefiele, sources that claim to be close to DSS are releasing snippets of reports (investigations) and giving dates that have semblance of actual events.

That is why the DSS advisory, warning alleged pro-Emefiele protesters to keep off, is suspect. While there may not be such group plotting any protest, the DSS has realised it cannot carry on for weeks without explaining itself to the people. And it went to town with that decoy just to divert public curiosity. And if there are pockets of Nigerians who have a different view, and they want to exercise their right to lawful assembly, it is their right and no one should deny them the opportunity.

While Emefiele is in detention with no access to conventional media, social media news platform are awash with weighty allegations against him, which in the eyes of the ordinary public are enough to jail the man.

As a matter of fact, the man has been tried and sentenced as far as public opinion is concerned. Charges leveled against him are legion, including unilaterally operating a $47 billion foreign reserve account and 527 other private accounts, unknown to the Federal Government. He is alleged to have diverted N3.6 billion COVID-19 palliative obtained from the IMF to help Nigeria cushion the effect of the pandemic.

Of this sum, it is alleged in social media report that part of it is kept in a bank in China. Again, social media report alleged that Emefiele ordered all commercial banks to give him N30 billion each as pocket money, also, a new bank is alleged to have paid Emefiele N5 billion.

Going by the report, which claims the DSS as its source, the Service had been on the trail of Emefiele for months now, if not close to a year. The report cited the January 18 interim injunction granted by Justice Belgore of an Abuja High Court to restrain the DSS from obtaining information from the CBN and commercial banks on forex allocation in the last six years. The point is that the DSS has investigated Emefiele long enough and should not waste time charging him to court. Nigerians are interested in the matter because they expect other big heads to roll. Nigerians are not interested in secret trial, after which plea bargain is obtained and accomplices are not named.

And because of the sensitivity of the matter, Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana had charged the DSS not to bungle the case because they do not have expertise on financial crimes. He told them to handover to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Unfortunately, the Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, is himself a guest of the secret police. Like Emefiele, Bawa has been taken to the court of social media and may have been sentenced as well. His offences according to unverified public sources range from having his wife and children live lavishly in the United Kingdom, including having a chef and nanny on his pay roll, in a four-bedroom apartment. Social media jury are querying how he is able to afford a five million pound mansion, pay school fees of 30,000 pounds for wife and three children; as well as fly Business Class every three weeks to and from the UK.

This is what you get when you fight corruption in the dark and you deny the media legitimate access to official information. Fake and unverified news sources have taken over. We cannot fight corruption by manipulating information and locking out the media from a process they are constitutionally empowered to moderate.

Ibrahim Lamorde and Ibrahim Magu, who also headed EFCC, were let go in similar fashion, as Bawa is experiencing. Nigerians were not told their crimes and whatever dust that was raised got settled with time. But corruption has festered within EFCC and outside because it is hush-hush business. The ball is in the court of Mr. President.