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DSS Sting: Justice Liman tenders resignation
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One of the Justices men of the Department of State Services, (DSS), in a nationwide sting operation in the early hours of Saturday October 8, attempted to arrest and conduct a search in his house, Justice Liman has resigned from the Nigerian bench.
While recounting the event of Saturday morning, how he escaped arrest and how Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State intervened in the matter. The embattled Jurist said Nigerians have heard or read about the reported raid in Port Harcourt and his name has been mentioned as the judge in whose house $2m dollars was stashed.
Since Saturday this story has been on the headlines and captions on most social media platforms.
In a commuque he made available Justice Liman offered thus “The truth is that all that you have read is more of misinformation and disinformation; which are substantially untrue account of what happened on Saturday.
“The truth is that we live as neighbors to the DSS field office in Port Harcourt their address is 35 and mine is 33. That morning the DSS came to house 34 where they wanted to search but they were refused entry and later Governor Wike was said to have come and engaged the security outfit in a near physical struggle, as the report suggested.
“I wouldn’t have known of the incidence, if my neighbor in house 34 had not called me to inform me of the presence of strange people at her gate.
“All this while the melee lasted to around 4:00a.m I was in my house monitoring the events, and remained indoors until later in the day when I felt it was no longer safe for me to continue to remain.
“However I feel distressed that the DSS indirectly claimed they have evidence I stashed $2m, and when contacted I employed thugs and with Governor Wike to obstruct them from carrying out the search and that I later transferred the money to an unknown place.
“I do not think I need to refute this allegation because it would only make sense if they had actually targeted my house for the search. The truth is that due to their incompetence they bungled the operation and are desperately searching for alibi to save their heads.
“Unfortunately I have found myself in the middle of a dirty politics between Governor Wike and the Federal Government and perhaps my notoriety for delivering controversial judgements; because the cases are also controversial and the stakes probably very high.
“I am not asking anybody to believe or disbelieve whether I stashed $2m, an amount that is equivalent to about N1b.
“Perhaps you might think the DSS probably exaggerated the amount, but all these would have been relevant considerations if they had actually searched my house.
“If I had $2m or even a quarter of it I would have abandoned this horrible profession that has lost its dignity. In fact I have already lost interest in it and have made up my mind to say bye bye to it. I believe there is a life beyond every other thing.”
In a related development Mr Femi Falana SAN has condemned the call by the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), for an unconditional release of the judges.
He said “The Nigerian Bar Association which has information on all corrupt judges and lawyers in the country has continued to shield them to the embarrassment of incorruptible members of the bar and the bench.
“The few lawyers who have plucked up the courage to expose corrupt judges and lawyers have been stigmatised and treated like lepers by their colleagues.
“It is on record that when both the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission sent invitation letters to judges suspected of corruption they had rushed to the Federal High Court to obtain interlocutory injunctions to prevent their arrest, investigation and prosecution.”
He blamed members of the profession for the harassment which he said would have been avoided if the provision of the law had been followed in dealing with corrupt judges.
“It is on account of negligence on the part of the legal profession that the DSS which screens candidates before they are recommended by the National Judicial Council for appointment as judges has now engaged in the arrest of judges for alleged corruption and abuse of office.”
He however said the arrested judges “are presumed innocent until the contrary is proved by the State, they should be admitted to bail in self recognisance.”
“It is a matter of grave concern that the legal profession has allowed the denigration of the hallowed temple of justice because of the misconduct of a few corrupt judges.
“For several years, judges who committed grave criminal offences were not prosecuted but merely retired by the authorities on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council.
“Although the National Judicial Council recently recommended the dismissal and prosecution of a judge for extorting the sum of N197m from a litigant the authorities had paid lip service to the menace of judicial corruption in the country.”