EXCLUSIVE: Former President Buhari’s Powerful Nephew, Mamman Daura Falls Ill After News Of Godwin Emefiele’s Arrest

Mamman Daura, the “powerful” nephew of former President, Muhammadu Buhari, has taken ill after news of the arrest of the suspended Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, by the Department of State Services (DSS) got to him, SaharaReporters has learnt.

SaharaReporters gathered that Daura’s sudden illness might be related to how he had protected Emefiele from prosecution for several years because of business dealings involving sales of forex largely controlled by him (Daura) – one of the reasons he was labelled as Buhari’s powerful nephew.

The DSS had on Saturday confirmed that it arrested Godwin Emefiele, the suspended CBN governor for “investigative reasons.”

“EMEFIELE, NOW IN DSS CUSTODY – The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is now in its custody for some investigative reasons,” Peter Afunanya, the DSS Public Relations Officer, had said.

SaharaReporters had learnt from top sources that the DSS has flown Emefiele from Lagos to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, after his arrest on Friday evening.

SaharaReporters further gathered that the embattled CBN governor was fleeing Nigeria through the land border in Lagos when he was arrested by the DSS.

“Emefiele has been flown from Lagos to Abuja after the DSS arrested him. He was fleeing through the land border when he was arrested. He was arrested last night in Lagos,” an authoritative source had revealed.

On Tuesday, top sources revealed to SaharaReporters that Daura had taken ill since Friday when the news of Emefiele’s arrest got to his residence in Kaduna State.

“Daura has taken ill after the Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele was arrested by Nigeria’s secret police, DSS last Friday. He is one of the cabals who protected the Central Bank Governor, shielding him from prosecution for several years because of business dealings involving sales of forex that is largely controlled by him,” one of the sources revealed.

SaharaReporters recalls that Mamman Daura’s influence had waned over the years after he was forced out of the Presidential Villa first due to a major fallout between him and the then First Lady, Aisha Buhari which led to his ouster from the “Defence House” where he held sway.

Daura had later spent some time in the UK battling an undisclosed disease with got him confined to his Kaduna home for years. SaharaReporters had last week reported that Emefiele’s arrest came same day the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, suspended him from office with immediate effect.

SaharaReporters had in February reported how the DSS attempted to arrest Emefiele, but the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, shielded him by providing soldiers to guard his residence and office.
The DSS had said it intensified its investigations in order to arrest and prosecute Emefiele, on allegations of terrorism financing and fraud.

SaharaReporters had also in February  reported that new court documents obtained from the DSS indicted Emefiele for funding “unknown gunmen” terrorising the Southeast region of the country. DSS investigation revealed that the apex bank governor funded the groups with resources he raised for his failed presidential bid in 2022 and diverted public funds.

It added that the funds and the vehicles Emefiele had planned to use for his presidential campaign were channelled into the funding of “‘Unknown Gunmen’, ESN and elements of IPOB, a proscribed organisation.”

According to the secret police, Emefiele “on several occasions in actions prejudicial to the security of the Nigerian state,” engaged in “criminal conspiracy to divert government resources into suspicious acts of terrorism financing”.

It said the actions of the CBN governor were “meant to subvert and sabotage” the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Top government sources shared with SaharaReporters how the investigation linked Emefiele to a well-known terror financier, whom the apex bank governor had sent funds for onward transfer to controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi. Gumi is known for hobnobbing with terrorists and bandits and advocating that amnesty should be granted to them.

In 2022, one of Gumi’s associates, Tukur Mamu, was arrested and detained by Interpol at Cairo International Airport in Egypt while awaiting a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia. Upon his return to Nigeria, he was arrested by the DSS over allegations that he was heading to Saudi Arabia to meet with some international terrorists.

Meanwhile, the secret police said their preliminary investigation revealed various acts of terrorism financing, fraudulent activities perpetrated by Emefiele and his involvement in economic crimes of national security dimension including mismanaging the CBN subsidiary, NISRAL, and the central bank’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.

The secret police also accused Emefiele of “fraud, money laundering, round tripping and conferment of financial benefit to self and others.”