Justices Ngwuta, Okoro in agency’s custody

According to NTA News, the Media aide to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr. Ahuraka Isah made the revelation to newsmen.

Isah told newsmen that Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro are in DSS custody.

He said “What I can tell you for now is that Justices Ngwuta and Okoro were arrested early hours of today.

“We do not know the reasons for the arrest yet. Justice Onnoghen was not among those arrested.”

DSS officials raided the houses of four Supreme Court Judges, Justices Walter Onnoghen, Sylvester Ngwuta, Adeniyi Ademola and Nnamdi Dimgba on Saturday, October 8, 2016.

The security agency in a statement released to newsmen, accused the judicial officers of fraud.

An excerpt of the statement reads: “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.

“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.

“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.”

Governor Nyesom Wike also foiled an attempt by the DSS to arrest a Federal High Court judge.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has also called on President Buhari to order the release of the judges.