The Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Coalition protesters thronged the Lagos Federal High Court on Abayomi Drive Wednesday, asking for prosecution of the seven judges arrested last weekend for corruption.
Desmond Abiona, leader of the group, said the judges have already sponsored online campaigns against the Department of State Security that carried out the operation. So his group and other Nigerians were declaring solidarity for the DSS.
According to him, the DSS had exposed the rot in the judiciary, which had eroded the gains of Nigeria’s democracy.
“We are sad to discover that the democracy we thought we had for almost two decades was a farce. The judiciary that is a crucial arm of government, that should be the last recourse of the common man is a bigger problem than what we had hoped it would solve for us,” Abiona said.
He noted his surprise at the way members of the public, who were victims of corruption, were still being fooled to believe that the action of the DSS was an attack on the judiciary.
“Suddenly, arrests that were executed with valid warrants are being criticised by the same people who have been short-changed by rogue judges all their lives. It is simply inconceivable.
“A few people might have bought into the lies that there is a clampdown on the judiciary to make it pliable to the executive arm but we challenge those that have been indicted or arrested to dare come to equity with clean hands.”
Abiona added that his group has uncovered the alleged sponsored protests by the arrested judges, and challenged the judges to prove their cases.
“In the coming days, we are aware that these corrupt judges have commissioned agents to recruit youths to hold protests at which their covert spokespersons will lay the allegation of witch-hunt.”
Between last Friday and Saturday, the DSS operative simultaneously busted seven judges across Nigeria, carting away local and foreign currencies totting up to N96 million from their safes and bedrooms.
Two of the judges are from the Supreme Court.