‘DSS has crossed its boundaries,’ Dino Melaye says

monjola sotubo

October 10, 2016 11:25 AM

Dino Melaye also said that the DSS acted outside its original mandate by arresting the judges.

Senator Dino Melaye

Senator Dino Melaye has criticized the Department of State Services (DSS) over its recent arrest of some judges on corruption charges.

Melaye also said that the DSS acted outside its original mandate by arresting the judges.

The senator made the comment via a statement released on Sunday, October 9.

The statement reads:

“I have studied the Act setting up DSS, Nigerian Intelligence Agency and DIA and can conclude that the DSS operatives went outside their core mandate. There is no doubt that many Judges are corrupt.

“It is also important to state the need to sanitize the judiciary of corruption that makes Judges not to give commercial rulings which create terrible precedence in our legal system. Judges have no immunity and can be tried and should be tried but the use of DSS is absolutely wrong.

“The DSS operatives even when they overstretched themselves and conducted investigations on the Judges. They ought to hand over their findings to the appropriate institutions of government: the Police or National Judicial Council for prosecution and punishment.

“The rule of law is a core value of governance and therefore must be guided jealousy. Prosecution of civil and corruption cases in not the responsibility of DSS. Internal security is the main duty of the DSS and they should stick to that. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.

The judges were arrested between Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 7 in an operation which saw the DSS recovering more than $800,000 in cash.

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The judges involved are Justice Sylvester Ngwuta (Supreme Court); Justice John Okoro (Supreme Court) and Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja among others.

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