The sanitation of the judiciary by President Muhammadu Buhari through the 'Gestapo Style' has progressed amidst widespread criticisms across the country. Two more judges were yesterday arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), taking the number of judges so far picked up to nine, according to a report on The Nation newspaper.
Justices Bashir Sukola and Ladan Manir of the Kaduna State High Court, were arrested in Kaduna and taken to the DSS Headquarters in Abuja at about 8.30pm.
A top source said they were immediately taken in for interrogation by a crack team to extract viable information and leads from the suspects.
Six other judges are under probe. The DSS, it was learnt yesterday, has frozen the accounts of some of the judges under investigation.
In some of the accounts are “huge lodgments”, a source said yesterday. The huge funds found in their accounts are heavily suspected to be corrupt proceeds from the perversion of justice perpetrated by the accused juries.
The agency has received more petitions against the judges. Many of the petitioners, it was learnt, are willing to testify against them.
There were strong indications last night that the judges might be arraigned in court next week because the DSS has set a deadline in order not to extend the investigation of the judges beyond this week.
All of them are to face trial, the source said. Under probe are two Supreme Court Justices – Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro – the suspended Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Justice Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya, who was picked up in Sokoto; Justice Adeniyi Ademola (Federal High Court); the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike; Justice Kabiru Auta of Kano State High Court; and Justice Muazu Pindiga (Gombe State High Court).
The source, who spoke in confidence because he is not allowed to talk to the media about the investigation, said:“Some accounts have been frozen through orders of the court. This affects some of the judges. Not all of them.
“We found some huge lodgements that are questionable in some accounts and in addition to that we also observed the inflow of their salaries over a long period without them making any withdrawal at all.
“What that means is that they don’t live on their salaries at all. Those accounts have been frozen but as I said not all of the judges are affected.”
On why the judges were yet to be charged to court, the source added: “We are waiting for the action of the NJC. We expect the NJC to suspend them, otherwise it’s like taking a sitting judge to court.
Justices Bashir Sukola and Ladan Manir of the Kaduna State High Court, were arrested in Kaduna and taken to the DSS Headquarters in Abuja at about 8.30pm.
A top source said they were immediately taken in for interrogation by a crack team to extract viable information and leads from the suspects.
Six other judges are under probe. The DSS, it was learnt yesterday, has frozen the accounts of some of the judges under investigation.
In some of the accounts are “huge lodgments”, a source said yesterday. The huge funds found in their accounts are heavily suspected to be corrupt proceeds from the perversion of justice perpetrated by the accused juries.
The agency has received more petitions against the judges. Many of the petitioners, it was learnt, are willing to testify against them.
There were strong indications last night that the judges might be arraigned in court next week because the DSS has set a deadline in order not to extend the investigation of the judges beyond this week.
All of them are to face trial, the source said. Under probe are two Supreme Court Justices – Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro – the suspended Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Justice Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya, who was picked up in Sokoto; Justice Adeniyi Ademola (Federal High Court); the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike; Justice Kabiru Auta of Kano State High Court; and Justice Muazu Pindiga (Gombe State High Court).
The source, who spoke in confidence because he is not allowed to talk to the media about the investigation, said:“Some accounts have been frozen through orders of the court. This affects some of the judges. Not all of them.
“We found some huge lodgements that are questionable in some accounts and in addition to that we also observed the inflow of their salaries over a long period without them making any withdrawal at all.
“What that means is that they don’t live on their salaries at all. Those accounts have been frozen but as I said not all of the judges are affected.”
On why the judges were yet to be charged to court, the source added: “We are waiting for the action of the NJC. We expect the NJC to suspend them, otherwise it’s like taking a sitting judge to court.
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