Presidency 2019: Judicial officers under siege

• As APC plots to rig next general elections
• Scared of Supreme Court, High Court Judges

By DICKSON OMONODE

MORE facts are beginning to unfold over the Friday, October 7 to Saturday, October 8 mid night invasion of the residence of some Judges across the country. National Daily investigations revealed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be using the Department of Security Service (DSS) to prepare for 2019 elections. The APC government was, thus, disclosed to be using corruption accusations and the DSS to intimidate the judicial officers towards doing the biddings of the party in 2019. More so, findings revealed that the federal government lacks facts to prosecute the arrested judges for corruption.

A reliable source disclosed that the attack on judges on prompt up corruption is preparation for 2019 by the ruling party. The source declared that, “APC will overrun the country with the military in 2019 and there will be no elections, then, the party will write results but they are scared of the judiciary.”

The source reiterated that APC wants to cow the judiciary because of 2019. He revealed that leaders of the ruling party are not comfortable with the Supreme Court and High Court where there have been honest and sincere judgments, adding that the Supreme Court and High Courts have been difficult for the government to influence. He said that they have no problem with the Court of Appeal, observing that “the Appeal court has been giving them favourable judgment anyhow.”

It was further revealed that the APC government does not want the Justice being recommended to President Muhammadu, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, to succeed Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who will soon go on retirement “because Onnoghen is an independent minded man, he will not cooperate with them, will not do their bidding.”

Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro, both of the Supreme Court, were said to be arrested for not cooperating with the APC government. Our source alleged that the government negotiated differently with the two judges to accept the appointment of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) in replacement of Onnoghen but they both declined the offer. “They were offered the CJN while in detention but they rejected the offer, insisting that the right person should be appointed,” our source alleged.

It was also alleged that the federal government wants to appoint a new CJN from outside the bench as was done in Customs Service. It was also alleged that Olisa Agbakoba SAN, and Itse Sagay SAN are being considered for the position.

Meanwhile, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen has been endorsed by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed Justice Mohammed.

Furthermore, National Daily investigations revealed that Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport is angry with the judges that handled the governorship petitions in rivers and Akwa Ibom states because they were not cooperating with him when he allegedly made overtures to them.

It was unmasked that Amaechi wants to be leader of the South-South in APC and was disappointed over the court’s judgments on the governorship petitions in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states won be the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Transport Minister had wanted to use these states as springboard for his leadership of the zone but he was highly disappointed.

Our source also revealed that Amaechi has ambition to be Vice President to Buhari in 2019, or even President. He was said to be working on the political calculation that the South West may not go with Buhari and the APC in 2019.

The DSS had invaded the residence of Justice Nnamdi Dimgba in that Saturday operations. It was disclosed that Dimgba handled a case involving a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACA) and granted him bail. The suspect, according to our source, was supposed to remain in prison custody until the bail conditions are fulfilled or till the next sitting of the court but he was taken back to DSS detention. “Only the suspect can apply to be in DSS custody but there was none. There was no application the man should remain in DSS custody but they wanted to manipulate reasons for their actions,” our source said.

He revealed that they brought an application at next sitting of the court but Justice Dimgba told them that he will not listen to them that they disobeyed court order. This was said not to go down well with the authorities in Abuja.

When the DSS invaded Dimgba’s home, they were searching for document, taking whatever files they could sight.

In Port Harcourt, it was disclosed that the security operatives did not go direct to Justice Liman Mohammed’s residence. “They went to the residence of the next Judge and were being monitored before Governor Nyesom Wike arrived. They blocked the whole place,” he said.

Our investigations further revealed that the federal government is in a fix on the next line of action, essentially, the prosecution of the indicted judges.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, was disclosed to have called some of his lawyers to draft charges of bribery and corruption against the judges but the lawyers told him that there are no facts and evidence to draft the charges. That was said to be the main reason why the government released the judges without delay. The AGF was told that may be they could be charged for money laundry by the FG hut that is after same allegation has been investigated, noting that DSS, however, has no powers to prosecute.

It was further revealed that the federal government has no facts of corruption, money laundry and no CCTV footing of their searches to prove the claims of what they found in the judge’s homes.

The Judge they said went to Ghana said he never went to Ghana, showed his international passport and there was no visa to Ghana.

They claimed extravagant spending during shopping at a supermarket, they have to show CCTV footage.

However, the government has continued the search for facts to prosecute the judges.
Now, the judiciary is fighting back. The Security operatives claimed they sent invitations to the judges; but questions are being raised: did the judges respond; did they come or did they refuse to come; then, why raid them at night?

Meanwhile, Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, last weekend, wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, accusing the AGF, Abubakar Malami, of waging war of vengeance against him. The Judge also sought permission from the CJN to commence legal action against the DSS. “My Lord, with this infringement on my fundamental right, I seek for the leave to commence an action against the State Security Service to enforce my right that was breached,” Justice Ademola had requested.

Justice Ademola had said he was being persecuted for granting bail to former National Security Adviser, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, as well as the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Ademola had said that there has been a long standing friction between himself and Malami, which he believes was also reason for the alleged persecution.

In the letter to the CJN, four days after the raid at his residence in Abuja, Justice Ademola said he was assaulted during the midnight operation by DSS operatives.

“The search of my residence was based on these allegations: “(i) Petition of Hon. Jenkins Duvie dated 4th of April 2016 to the National Judicial Council (NJC); (ii) Granting bail to Col. Sambo Dasuki and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu. (iii) Using my office to secure my wife’s appointment as the Head of Civil Service Lagos State through Senator Bola Tinubu,” Ademola had declared.

Ademola disclosed that about 45 DSS operatives stormed his residence and whisked him away in the dead of night, without telling him his offenses or presenting a warrant of arrest, adding that the Service connived with the AGF to use his decisions on the bench against him.

“What is more intriguing in this whole episode is that I see it as a vendetta/revenge from the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN),” Ademola lamented.

“Whilst I was in Kano between 2004 and 2008 as a Federal High Court Judge, he was involved in a professional misconduct necessitating his arrest and detention by my order. However, with the intervention of Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), Kano Branch, the allegation of misconduct was later withdrawn by me,” Justice Ademola said .

“Consequently, the National Judicial Council (NJC) referred Abubakar Malami to the NBA Disciplinary Committee for disciplinary action,” he added.

Ademola noted that the case cost Malami his initial prospects of becoming a senior advocate of Nigeria.

“It was as a result of this he was denied the Rank of SAN by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee for a period of four years until when he produced a fake letter of apology, purportedly addressed to me. It was then he was conferred with the rank.

Since the above incident, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has threatened to revenge and swore to do anything to bring me down,” Justice Ademola highlighted.

Ademola debunked the allegations against him, including charges that he was in possession of unlicensed firearms.

“I saw about 45 masked officers of the State Security Services, all heavily armed pointing their guns at me. They flashed a document purported to be a search warrant and ordered me to sign a document claiming that they had already conducted a search downstairs. They also added that I was totally under their control today as I have always made orders against them,” the Judge stated.

Meanwhile, the AGF, Malami, has challenged two judges accusing him of vendetta to go to court to prove their innocence. He dismissed the accusations as mere afterthought which, he said, does not have the force of law.