SARKIN HAUSAWA OF LAGOS, AMINU YARO AND WIFE DETAINED BY DSS OVER MULTIBILLION NAIRA FOREX DEALS WITH EMEFIELE, KINSMEN PROTEST

The council chiefs in a statement signed by Jarman of Lagos, Yarima Shettima, demanded immediate and unconditional release of their leader and his wife.

They described their detention as unlawful, asking the DSS to grant them immediate access to legal representation, medical attention and family members.

“The attention of the Council of Arewa Chiefs, Lagos State has been drawn to the unexplained detention of the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos and Chairman of the Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Aminu Idris Yaro with his wife by the Department of State Services (DSS).

“We note also that the Sarkin Hausawa has been held by the DSS incommunicado for the last three days following what initially was a routine invitation which he dutifully honoured.

“The Council of Arewa Chiefs also understands that Sarkin Hausawa is being held in connection with the ongoing investigation of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

“The Council is not unaware of the friendship relationship between Sarkin Hausawa and Mr Godwin Emefiele just the way Emefiele is friends with many other chiefs and dignitaries all over the country and around the globe.

“What is regrettable is, however, the unexplained connection of a friend with the ongoing investigation of Mr Emefiele who till this moment, as far as the public is concerned, is only being accused of possession of unlicensed firearms.

“The council is concerned that the DSS might typically be used to hunt down respected leaders of the community using terrorism fight as a smoke screen,” the statement partly read.

Shettima said while the council was not challenging the power of the DSS and any security service in the country to invite any person for any of its investigations, the detention of the Yaro beyond 24 hours as stipulated in the law by the DSS, is “repugnant to the sensibilities of the traditional rulership system, the Arewa community and the Council of Chiefs.”

He suggested that the DSS should present him before a competent court of law rather than holding him indefinitely without any trial.

Contacted last night, the spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, neither confirmed nor denied Yaro’s detention with his wife.

He simply told one of our correspondents, “No comments please”.

In June, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had uncovered N70 billion fraudulently realised by the suspended apex bank governor, Emefiele in connivance with others.

Sources told SaharaReporters that the money was raised by Emefiele and the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos, Alhaji Yaro and his wife through a forex differential fraud facilitated by the suspended CBN governor.

President Bola Tinubu recently suspended Emefiele from office and he was soon arrested and flown from Lagos to Abuja to face interrogations centred around corruption and abuse of office.

Sources told SaharaReporters Emefiele grossly abused the privileges of the office by making quick cash from forex differential fraud with the help of the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos, Yaro and his wife, who is said to be an employee of the apex bank.

“This is a case of forex differential fraud involving the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele.

“The governor sells forex to various individuals at the official rate on paper. He has an understanding with the individuals that they will sell at the black-market rate when the CBN credits the banks of the individuals that buy the forex.

“When they sell, the difference will be paid into the account of Aminu Yaro on behalf of Emefiele,” one of the sources had said.

“So far, about N70 billion has been traced to the account in the course of the investigation.

“The wife of Aminu Yaro is an employee of CBN and a signatory to the company account where the money is paid into. She has also been invited by the EFCC for questioning.

“The case was compromised by the suspended Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa because some people close to the seat of power are involved.

“They charge the wife for SCUML (Special Control Unit Against Money Laundry) offences but the main case was left out while the differentials in forex exchange malpractice raised benefits of about N70 billion,” another source had said.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu recently directed the unification of foreign exchange rates against the multiple foreign exchange regimes of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Additional reports by Idowu Isamotu (Abuja) & Abbas Dalibi (Lagos)