President says court has no right to stop trial of arrested judges

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Federal High Court doesn’t have the power to stop the prosecution of

Buhari made the argument through his lawyer, Chiesonu Okpoko, in objection to a suit filed by one Olukoya Ogungbeje to stop the government from trying the judges.

Ogungbeje is urging the court to terminate the trials due to a “sting operation” carried out by the officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the judges.

Buhari’s lawyer however argued that the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the suit and that the plaintiff has not disclosed his locus standi to initiate and maintain the suit.

“The applicant’s suit as constituted and conceived was nothing more than a mere academic exercise and which raises hypothetical issues,” the president’s lawyer said.

The DSS arrested seven judges between October 7 and 8 but Ogungbeje filed the case on behalf of only five.

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The five judges are Justices Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court, Adeniyi Ademola and Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court Abuja, as well as Justice Muazu Pindiga of the Federal High Court, Gombe Division.