The Department of State Service has apprehended Kingsley Obiora, who serves as the deputy governor overseeing economic policy at the Central Bank of Nigeria. His arrest, reported by the Peoples Gazette, transpired earlier this week and has resulted in four consecutive nights spent in detention, where he is undergoing extensive questioning by the security service.


This arrest, notably, is unrelated to the ongoing inquiry into alleged financial misconduct involving the ousted governor, Godwin Emefiele. Emefiele, who assumed the position of CBN governor in June 2014, has remained in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) since June 10, 2023, just a day following his controversial removal from office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.


Despite two federal judges ordering Emefiele's release, the DSS persists in finding additional grounds to keep him in custody, frequently introducing fresh charges to replace earlier ones for which the prominent banker had been arraigned. A credible source knowledgeable about Mr. Obiora's arrest has suggested that he is being targeted as a key witness in the case against his former superior.


Adding to the intrigue, Abbas Masanawa, another high-ranking official within the CBN, was also recently detained as authorities endeavor to ascertain the extent of Mr. Emefiele's alleged involvement in corruption.


The Gazette, in its efforts to gain insight, reached out to both the DSS and the CBN regarding Obiora's detention, yet received no immediate response. This absence of communication was not entirely unexpected, given Obiora's substantial familiarity with the Central Bank's policy decisions.


Born on March 6, 1976, Obiora previously served as a policy chief at the International Monetary Fund and provided counsel to former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He functioned as an adviser to Emefiele until March 2, 2020, when he officially assumed his current role as one of the four deputy governors of the CBN.


It is worth recalling that in late July, President Tinubu appointed a special investigator tasked with probing the Central Bank and other federal agencies suspected of fostering a culture of public corruption. Jim Osayande Obazee commenced his duties at the CBN in early August, marking a significant development in this ongoing investigation.