Kingsley Obiora, the CBN’s deputy governor in charge of economic policy, has reportedly been detained by the Department of State Service (DSS).
The security service has been questioning Mr. Obiora for the past four nights as they delve into claims of financial impropriety under the former governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Initially appointed as CBN governor in June 2014, Mr. Emefiele has served in SSS since June 10, 2023, a day after being controversially ousted from office by President Bola Tinubu.
Despite the fact that two federal judges have ordered Mr. Emefiele’s release, the SSS has continued to find further justifications to keep him detained, frequently submitting new charges to replace older ones for which the top banker had been tried.
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Although The Gazette has sought confirmation from further sources, a source familiar with Mr. Obiora’s detention claimed that he was being sought as a key witness against his boss. A further senior CBN officer, Abbas Masanawa, was recently detained while authorities investigated the depth of Mr. Emefiele’s suspected misconduct.
The DSS and CBN did not respond to The Gazette right away regarding Mr. Obiora’s detention, which authorities claimed was not totally unexpected given his familiarity with CBN policy decisions.
Mr. Obiora, who was born on March 6, 1976, served as the IMF’s policy chief and counseled former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Prior to being confirmed to his current post as one of the CBN’s four deputy governors on March 2, 2020, he served as Mr. Emefiele’s advisor.
Late in July, Mr. Tinubu ordered a special investigator to look into the CBN and other federal agencies that are said to have long fostered a culture of public corruption. Early in August, according to CBN authorities, Jim Osayande Obazee returned to work.