Abuja - A court has issued an order on security agencies, barring
them from arresting suspended Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi,
after he was briefly detained and his passport seized at the airport, a
document viewed by Reuters showed.
Justice Buba Ibrahim
issued the order on Friday, after Sanusi complained that his detention
had breached his right to freedom of movement, since he had not yet
been charged with committing the financial malpractices for which he
was suspended.
President Goodluck Jonathan suspended Sanusi on
Thursday, removing an outspoken critic of his government's record on
corruption, citing "acts of financial recklessness".
Since the
suspension, presidential spokesman Reuben Abati has accused the central
bank of procurement irregularities during Sanusi's tenure, most of
them dating back to 2011.
Sanusi, who was due to end his term in
June, had been presenting evidence to parliament that he said showed
the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to pay $20
billion it owed to federal government coffers, fueling suspicion his
arrest was meant to silence him.
The presidency denies it was politically motivated.
NNPC
has repeatedly denied Sanusi's allegations, which brought the bank
governor into conflict with Jonathan's administration a year before the
presidential elections.
The court ruling will remain in place
until a case Sanusi brought alleging violation of his human rights in
his brief airport detention, has been decided, the judge said.
That case will continue on February 28.
Sanusi's
suspension caused panic in the markets, with the naira falling to
record lows, as foreign investors sold off bonds, money and stocks.
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