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The State Security Service on Monday released all the judges arrested during a nationwide anti-corruption sweep between Friday and Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES can report.The SSS had between Friday Night and early Saturday conducted what it described as a “sting operation,” which culminated in the arrest of seven judges across six states. Supreme Court judges, Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta, were arrested in Abuja. Federal High Court judges, Adeniyi Ademola and Mohammed Tsamiya, were also arrested in Abuja. Others arrested included Kabir Auta, Kano; Muazu Pindiga, Gombe; and Innocent Umezulike in Enugu. The operatives were also involved in a botched attempt to arrest another judge in Port Harcourt. Security sources in the agency said all the seven judges were released on self-recognition while agents prepare charges for their arraignment. “They were all released on bail yesterday (Sunday) on self-recognition,” one of our sources said. “They reported this morning (Monday) and they have...

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 foun...

From Friday, the 7th of October, till the early hours of Saturday, the 8th December 2016, armed detachments of the State Security Service (“SSS”) reportedly stormed the residences of a number of Judges (and Justices of the Supreme Court) in various locations in Nigeria, (Gombe, FCT Abuja, Kano, Enugu, Sokoto and Port Harcourt), and, for several hours, ransacked their houses. Where they could not gain access to the houses, they reportedly broke down the houses’ doors as has been witnessed by media footage. SSS officials also reportedly physically manhandled and threatened to shoot residents who refused to give them access to particular houses. A number of Judges were arrested, as well as two Justices of the Supreme Court (Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro). The arrests occurred in the early hours of the morning of Saturday, 8th October 2016. Search warrants were reportedly procured for the search of the premises of some, but not all the Judges/Justices whose homes were invade...

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Saturday, October 8, 2016 declared a state of emergency in the judiciary following crackdown on judges by the secret police, the Department of State Security Services, DSS. Addressing the press were the current NBA president, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), and four past presidents of the association – Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN); Mr. J.B. Daudu (SAN), and Augustine Alegeh (SAN). Others in attendance at the declaration, which held at Eko Hotel in Lagos were Prof. Kayinsola Ajayi (SAN), Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN), among others. Mahmoud said two Supreme Court justices, Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta were “abducted”, with their families, adding that he had yet to have the full detail of other judges who could have been involved. Mahmoud said the NBA condemned what it termed the Gestapo-style operation of the DSS. He announced the constitution of an emergency or crisis management team, comprising past NBA pres...

Two Justices of the Supreme Court – Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro – were arrested at their official residences in Abuja by men of the Department of State Service early hours of Saturday. The two men were said to be currently in the DSS custody in Abuja. Media aide to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr. Ahuraka Isah, confirmed to our correspondent the arrest of Justices Nwgwuta and Okoro. He however said the reasons for the arrest were still not known to him. He clarified that Justice Walter Onnoghen, the next in rank to the incumbent CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, was not among the Justices of the apex court arrested as earlier reported. Isah 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.” Sources confirmed that Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja was also arrested by the operatives of the DSS aft...

Governor Wike alleges plot to declare state of emergency in Rivers State The illegal siege on Rivers State by Federal eecurity agencies continued unabated during the early hours of Saturday as hundreds of Department of State Services (DSS) operatives and policemen attempted to illegally abduct a Federal High Court judge residing at Number 35 Forces Avenue in Port Harcourt The illegal failed abduction was led by Mr Tosin Ajayi, Rivers State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) and Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr Francis Odesanya. The operatives of DSS reportedly rough-handled Governor Wike, pushing him around and injuring his hand. A few of the operatives cocked their rifles and threatened to shoot the Governor. They were irked by Governor Wike's arrival at the scene shortly after the failed abduction process began. It was learnt that Governor Wike received security information on the illegal moves, minutes after the operation started. The security operative...

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the current tirade against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as a grand conspiracy and crude attempt to humiliate and reduce the political influence of the national leader of All Progressives Congress. Condemning the attack on Tinubu, Fayose said “humiliation of Tinubu is also humiliation of the Yoruba race,” adding that “Yoruba leaders must be protected.” The governor said, “even though I am not a member of APC and I will never be, I have been elected to stand in defence of the Yoruba nation, once again by saying no to the continuous dishonourable treatment being meted to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, having paid his dues.” Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and News Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said:“If Tinubu is allowed to be embarrassed and disgraced just the way our past leaders were humiliated by these same elements, the Yoruba nation would have been made to suffer for uprightness.” The governor condemned the...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja said that his greatest wish from God was the courage to be fair to all Nigerians irrespective of religious, tribal and cultural backgrounds. He said his administration would continue to promote unity and peaceful co-existence of all Nigerians by ensuring fairness and social justice to all. The president spoke while receiving Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin Muhammad Al-Qassimi, Imam of the Mosque of the Holy Prophet in Medina, Saudi Arabia at the State House, Abuja. President Buhari said God had a purpose of bringing people from different ethnic backgrounds into one country- Nigeria. “God knows best- a population of 180 million people comprising more than 300 ethnic groups many of them with cultural ties stronger than religion can only co-exist peacefully in an atmosphere of social justice,’’ he said. President Buhari urged Muslims and all other citizens to imbibe and practice social justice as a norm and prayed to Allah to guide his government in doi...

Professor John Paden, President Muhammadu Buhari’s official biographer, is a man that is very comfortable with distorting the truth and telling lies. He is also a man that has been doing so for virtually all his adult life. Anyone that doubts that should read his biography on the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, which was written in 1986 and titled, Ahmadu Bello, Saurdana of Sokoto: Values and Leadership In Nigeria, and which is essentially a self-serving and comprehensive compilation of Bello’s numerous virtues with little or no mention of his many vices. I read that book twenty years ago and I placed it in the “light entertainment” shelf in my library because it lacked gravitas or any real intellectual stamina. It was, at best, a beautiful public relations job for Bello and, at worse, a compilation of disjointed verbiage fit only for the dustbin. Paden’s book on Buhari falls into the same category. It is nothing but an illusion: an extraordinary and fantastic fairy-tale built on a shady...

The National Chairman of the governing All progressives Congress, APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, has formally replied a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, who accused him of fraud and dictatorship in his handling of the party’s affairs. Mr. Oyegun said Mr. Tinubu’s public letter contained “reckless falsehood.” The national chairman issued a statement on Friday in which he attempted to respond to all the allegations raised by the former Lagos State governor. Read below the full statement by Mr. Odigie-Oyegun: THE FACTS – 2016 ONDO STATE APC GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION PRIMARIES The outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2016 Ondo State Governorship Primary Election has led to disagreements among some Party stakeholders in the state and at the national level. The ripples from the controversy over the election have unfortunately dragged our great party on to the front pages of newspapers for the wrong reasons. Recently, the media office of Bola Tinubu falsely and recklessly ...