Photo Credit Punch
.N93,558,000.00, $530,087, £25,970 And €5,680. Recovered
.Governor Bungled Operation Against Judge Who Had $2m At Home
The Department of State Services on Saturday attempted to justify the invasion of the homes of some Justices of the Supreme, Appeal and Federal High Courts, but failed to show a valid search warrant obtained from a court of competent jurisdiction that authorized the operation.
A senior officer of the security agency, Mr. Abdullahi Garba, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, said the operations were based on allegations of corruptions and other acts of professional misconduct by a few of the suspected judges.
He also said the action would be sustained and that the Friday night action was a follow up to what it described as an outcome of special sting operation which it said involved some judges of the Supreme, Appeal and High Courts.
Garba said, “The 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.
“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.”
Garba disclosed that some of the judges had made useful statements on the allegations against them, but said a few of them declined “even with the glaring evidence that were found against them in terms of material cash, documents and property recovered pointing to their compromise.”
He said in one of the states where the operations were carried out, intelligence report showed that a judge had $2m in his house. Unfortunately a governor, referring to Nyesom Wike, bungled the operation by obstructing the operatives of the service from carrying out their job.
He said, “In one of the states where the 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, mobilised 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 the governor also engaged the tacit support of a sister security agency.
“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.”
Garba however revealed that large amount, including foreign/local currencies, had been recovered.
He gave the summaries as follows:
N93,558,000.00, $530,087, £25,970 and €5,680.
Garba pointed out that the currencies were recovered from just three of the judges, but declined to give their names and the total number of judges involved.
he also disclosed that apart from the cash, banking documents, including real estate documents were also recovered.
Preparations were ongoing to arraign the suspects in a competent court of jurisdiction in line with the laws of the nation, he said.
Garba clarified that the DSS had never invited Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen for investigation as being speculated by some media. And that the judge was also neither being investigated by the Service.
“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,” he added.
Garba assured that the current operation will be sustained and followed “till sanity and sanctity were restored to the esteemed third arm of government and public confidence is regained.”
Nigerians share in the aspiration of the DSS, but unresolved is the question as to whether due process followed.
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