Emefiele : DSS reportedly arrests NIRSAL boss

The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly arrested Abbas  Masanawa, the chief executive officer of Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, NIRSAL.

He was reportedly arrested for his alleged role in the ongoing corruption probe of ousted CBN chief Godwin Emefiele, Peoples Gazette reports on Friday.

Informed DSS insiders said Mr Masanawa was taken into custody three weeks ago and has remained there while their investigation continued, the online newspaper reported.

It was not immediately clear whether or not he has hired lawyers to represent him in the case. A spokesman for NIRSAL did not immediately return a request for comments.

Mr Masanawa’s arrest is allegedly linked to activities recorded during his tenure as the managing director of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC).

He reportedly resigned from NSPMC after it was reported that he was seeking a governorship election as a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress while still in office as the nation’s printing and minting boss.

The NSPMC is a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) responsible for printing and minting the nation’s currency notes, coins and high-level security documents.

It was not immediately clear why President Bola Tinubu approved the detention of Mr Masanawa without first suspending him from office, especially since his detention for the past three weeks has crippled NIRSAL’s ability to operate.

A presidential spokesman declined comments.

Mr Emefiele was fired as CBN governor on June 9 and was arrested the next day by the SSS, which has kept him in custody ever since, in defiance of federal court orders.