Embattled CBN Governor Emefiele meets with Buhari

The embattled Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja, where he is believed to have updated the president on the activities of the bank.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CBN governor had, earlier on Thursday morning, attended a meeting between the president and the visiting Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development, Sid Ould Tah, at the State House, Abuja.

Mr Emefiele’s visit to the Presidential Villa was the first since he resumed work at the CBN after his controversial leave on 12 January.

The CBN governor travelled out of the country amidst fears he would be apprehended by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) over several allegations against him, including terrorism financing.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Federal High Court in Abuja refused to issue an order sought by the SSS to arrest Mr Emefiele. Another court in Abuja also granted an order sought by a civic group to bar the SSS from arresting the CBN chief.

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This newspaper also exclusively reported the return of Mr Emefiele amidst the threat of arrest.

There were media reports on Monday that SSS operatives invaded the headquarters of the CBN and took over the office of the governor of the apex bank. The SSS, however, denied the report.

On Thursday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr Emefiele, who did not speak to journalists after the closed-door meeting with the president, briefed the president on the activities of the CBN since the introduction of the redesigned naira notes of N200, N500 and N1,000 denominations.

The CBN governor is believed to have presidential backing on the Naira redesign and withdrawal limit policy introduced by the apex bank in December 2022.