BEVERLY HILLS, October 12, (THEWILL) – Two more judges, Bashir Sukola and Ladan Manir of the Kaduna State High Court, have been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), taking the number of judges so far picked up to nine.
The duo were arrested in Kaduna and taken to the DSS Headquarters in Abuja at about 8.30pm for immediate interrogation on allegations of corrupt practices.
THEWILL recalls that two Supreme Court Justices, Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro; the suspended Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Justice Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya; 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, are already under investigation by the Agency.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the DSS has written to the Nigerian Judicial Council to suspend the judges under investigations so that they can be charged to court, otherwise it’s like taking a sitting judge to court.
There were strong indications that the Agency intends to arraign all the judges in court next week in order not to extend the investigations due to the public outcry and weight of evidence.
Also, the accounts of some of the judges under investigation has been frozen as some huge lodgements were allegedly discovered in the accounts.
The agency has also received more petitions against the judges with many of the petitioners indicating willingness to testify against them in court.
Story by David Oputah
