State operatives carried out overnight raids on the residences of judges in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Gombe, Kano, Enugu and Sokoto.
At a press conference Saturday in Abuja, an official of the service, Abdullahi Garba, said a huge amount of money was recovered from the judges’ homes. The monies were found in local and foreign currencies.
Below is a full copy of the press conference:
Good afternoon gentlemen of the Press.
2. The Department of State Services (DSS) in the past few days, has embarked on series of special sting operations involving some Judges of the Supreme, Appeal and High Courts. These operations were based on allegations of corruptions and other acts of professional misconduct by a few of the suspected Judges. The Service action is in line with its core mandate, as we have been monitoring the expensive and luxurious lifestyle of some of the Judges as well as complaints from the concerned public over judgment obtained fraudulently and on the basis amounts of money paid.
3. The judges involved were invited, upon which due diligence was exhibited and their premises searched. The searches have uncovered huge raw cash of various denominations, local and foreign currencies, with real estate worth several millions of Naira and documents affirming unholy acts by these Judges. Meanwhile, some of them have made useful statements while a few have declined even with the glaring evidences that were found against them in terms of material cash, documents and property recovered pointing to their compromise.
4. In one of the States where the Service operations were conducted, credible intelligence revealed that the Judge had Two Million United States Dollars ($2,000,000 USD) stashed in his house. When he was approached for due search to be conducted, he in concert with the State Governor, mobilized thugs against the Service team. The team restrained itself in the face of unbridled provocative activities by those brought in by the Governor. Unfortunately, the Judge and Governor also engaged the tacit support of a sister security agency.
5. The Service surveillance team noticed that upon frustrating the operation, the Judge with the active support of the Governor craftily moved the money to an unknown location which the Service is currently making effort to unravel.
6. Meanwhile, large amount including foreign/local currencies have been recovered. Summaries of these include:
SUMMARY OF RECOVERED MONEY
1. NAIRA – N93,558,000.00
2. DOLLARS – $530,087
3. POUNDS – £25,970
4. EURO – €5,680
7. Other foreign currencies were also recovered. This were recovered from just three (3) of the judges.
8. These in addition to other banking documents, including real estate documents have been recovered. Meanwhile preparations are ongoing to arraign them in a competent court of jurisdiction in line with the laws of the nation.
9. The Service would want to clearly state that it has never invited Justice Walter NKANU ONNOGHEN for investigation, neither is he being investigated by this Service. In addition the Service would like to put it on record, that it has tremendous respect for the Judiciary and would not do anything to undermine it or its activities. The Service will also join hands with this noble institution in its fight to rid it of few corrupt Judges whose actions is undermining not only the Judiciary but the common bond of our national life.
10. Ladies and gentlemen, this current operation will be sustained and followed till sanity and sanctity is restored to the esteemed third arm of government and public confidence is regained.
11. Members of the public are also encouraged to avail the Service of any information which could assist in this drive to rid our nation of corrupt practices and tendencies.
THANK YOU.
Abdullahi GARBA,
Department of State Services,
Abuja.
8th October, 2016.
How did they know millions of Dollars was in his house. Did they mean they saw the money but left the money? Who counted the money during the fiasco to know it was 2 million Dollars? You saw it, counted it but left it to be taken away.Who saw the money being moved? What a funny country.
ReplyDeleteJudges have been epitome of corruption in Nigeria. I get confused when judges grant perpetual injections to someone who knows has need to give his stewardship only to run to corrupt judge to block even investigation. They have made justice for the highest bidder. Time for reckoning is here.
ReplyDeleteBuhari has successfully covered up the corrupt members of his govt from Dambazau to his chief of staff who collected N500Million from MTN to his dubious and very fraudulent attorney general. Yet he uses statr security apparatuses to hound and harrass his perceived political enemies. You are talking about luxurious lifestyle yet Aisha Buhari is there wearing a N10m wristwatch.
ReplyDeleteThese are lies forged to cover up the gangsterism of the DSS. I will never believe their lies! Nigeria is already a failed state. When will the type of revolution that happened in Egypt start in Nigeria?
ReplyDeleteMy country Nigeria is not a failed state I believe strongly that Nigeria shall be good again
DeleteIt's evident you guys have no respect for the rule of law else you wouldn't have carried out that kind of operation. In a more civilised clime, you'd need to invite them and initiate an investigation. Discovering money in their houses doesn't automatically translate to corruption. The money might be a pointer though. As intellectuals, they might be involved in consulting for individuals in their capacity as judges and people versed in law.
ReplyDeleteIf a politician wants my service as a lawyer or judge to show him how to exploit the loopholes in the law and I decide to charge him huge sum, does that make me corrupt? Does that make me a person of interest?
The truth is, if there's no clear cut evidence of a shady dealings. All we have at best is an insinuation.
Next time the DSS should be more civilised and democratic.
As for Wike, he's the man. I like his style. As a chief security officer of his state he has a greater say. I think the time has come for state police to be legalised. That will at least check federal recklessness.
I rest my case.
Oga, there's something called conflict of interest. As a matter of fact, the Nigeria law does not allow public servants to engage in any other money making activity whatsoever. You need to speak less and get enlightened more.
DeleteWhat do you expect when Buahri Has said "Judiciary is his problems," Buhari is trying to get rid of his problems so that he deal with Nigeria squarely especially those of ss and se sw . we are here waiting . today it might be judges but tomorrow it might be Pastor, importers, teachers, or even students
ReplyDeleteI'm a wailer cus our overrated president has crumbled nigeria economy without policy directions to bring her economy back on track, inflation is at its climax since 1984,job loses, insecurity and harassment from security agencies acting from the order above,i'm a wailer cus its remaining 86days to GO in 2016 and nothing or no single thing has being implemented in our 2016 budget,somalia is already better than nigeria.
ReplyDeleteFrom Omoyele Sowore's Fb wall (publisher of Sahara Reporters):
ReplyDeleteHere is what we know about DSS overnight raid on some judges:
1. Sources within DSS say Supreme Court nominee for Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen not targeted in raids conducted so far.
2. Justices John Inyang Okoro And Sylvanus Ngwuta of the Supreme Court "arrested" in connection with bribery by Gov. Nyesom, Ngwuta reportedly traveled to Qatar to pick up bribes that he shared with Ngwuta and some others.
3. Gov. Wike sprang up late night to obstruct the arrest of Justice Abdullahi Liman in Port Harcourt, but security sources claimed that he left when confronted by Police and DSS agents who threatened to shoot him
4. There was a siege on the home of a young judge, Dimgba Nnamdi, who apparently has been a thorn in the side of the DSS lately. When the siege was over his brother had been brutalized only for them to show him a "search warrant" meant for Justice Okoro. Dimgba was "roughened up" but not arrested.
5. Justice Muazu Pindiga was arrested in Gombe and currently penning his statement regarding his role in the Rivers election tribunal bribery.
6. Justice Tsamiya who was recently "compulsorily retired" by the NJC was not home when the DSS team invaded his Gwarimpa home.
7. DSS team reportedly arrived Justice Adeniyi Ademola's house in Abuja asked him to come out, but he claimed he wasn't home, however, his cellphone signal gave him away. He was subsequently arrested with at least N300million found in different local and foreign currencies in his bedroom.
8. It is claimed that the raids were carried out between DSS and the Nigerian Police, later learnt Police bungled some of the raids by tipping off their targets.
9. The security agencies claim the raids took place after they carried out independent investigations from petitions submitted to the NJC against some of the judges. Raid ought to have taken place last week but had to be postponed.
10. Arrested judges will appear in court early next week!
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My comment: I hope this puts to rest the claims, innuendoes and bizarre theories circulating online.
Thank you
DeleteWhy wait till 1 am to arrest a judge? Why? With a simply invitation they can come to you. Why was it impossible for the DSS to wait till morning before this arrest? What are you hiding from Nigerians? Shameless hailers who have no respect for the separation of powers and independence of judiciary. It is obvious you want to shut every voice that dares to oppose your excesses.. The judge Nnamdi Dimgba is outstanding in his practice as a judge. Sometime earlier this same judge rebuked the FG and DSS for not obeying court orders. He ruled that one APC chieftain who had corrupt charges against him be remanded in prison ( just like the PDP men), BUT THE DSS disobeyed his ruling and gave the sai baba man a comfortable house arrest. He queried the DSS and FG not to appear in his court until the last judgement he gave is carried out.. So this is the outcome.. What a shame.. An uneducated extremist in the helm of affairs..
ReplyDeleteThe evidences and exhibits found with them will be dressed that DSS would have not layed hand on them rember they acted on an intelligence and functions of intelligence information. Let us not just condemn DSS for their acts there is what we know as situation warrant operations that all protocols must be averted to get facts else they will prove law and cover it with jurisprudence tags and clogs. Youths wake up from sleep and slumbers, stop ethnic, nepotistic and regional hatred now these methuselah went to school free with begs and several opportunities to them yet they are destroying the nation making payments of school fees hard today for less privileged, destroying future and making youths unmarketable and unproductive yet we are supporting them, why?
DeleteBuhari was installed as a president basically because of tribe and religion . He will destroy Nigeria.
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ReplyDeleteI think this nation Nigeria need God himself to come down or revolution will start very soon, judiciary that suppose to help rid off corruption are now the master minder of corruption, imposing rulers on good and innocent Nigerians just for their own selfish interests. A nation whom the body that make law is rotten then the nation itself if in a state of argony, we have voted in president that to help us fight corruption now judiciary are now helping corruption to stand no wonder lawlessness is the order of the day that children of the less privileged suffer and the rich enjoy, judiciary have been known to be corrupt, they seek for independence to perpetuate their evil well God will reward whatever your deed is. If they like let them go on one year Statè of emergency 🚨
ReplyDelete