Revelations emerged yesterday on why men of the Department of the State Security (DSS), Friday, engaged in nocturnal invasion of apartments of two justices of the Supreme Court and arrested two high court judges in Abuja and Gombe State.
The DSS operatives simultaneously invaded the houses of the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Walter Onnoghen, tipped to be the next Chief Justice of Nigeria, and another Supreme Court Justice, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta.
They also swooped on the residents of both Justice Adeniyi Ademola and Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, and arrested the former as part of the probe of some of judges, preparatory to their arraignment over alleged judicial actmisconduct.
Attempt in Rivers State to nab another serving Justice of a Federal High Court failed because of the intervention of the state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike. All the judges are suspected to have collected huge cash to pervert the cause of justice before, during and after the 2015 general elections, as well as in other cases.
Both Justices Onnoghen and Ngwuta are neighbours at the Judicial Officers’ Quarters in Abuja, while Justices Ademola and Dimgba live next to each other at the Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja.
It was learnt that the DSS operatives surrounded the judges’ houses for hours be fore they eventually broke in at about 1am on Saturday and after a thorough search, the security agents took Justice Ademola away at about 5am. The operatives allegedly beat up Justice Dimgba’s brother during the operation.
Sunday Telegraph learnt from a source within the area that prefers anonymity that the security agents presented search warrants ‘of doubtful authenticity with incorrect names’ for the operation.
It was also learnt that in Gombe, on Friday, men of the security agency arrested Justice Muazu Pindiga, who was the first chairman of the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal, before he was changed midway into the hearing of the dispute arising from the 2015 governorship election in the state. However, a source revealed that the raids on both Ademola and Dimgba’s residences were in connection with some of the judgement the judges delivered against the service, adding that the service has not been comfortable with some of the pronouncements of the judges.
“The DSS is saddened that after securing arrest and charging suspects to courts, the judges try to frustrate it by making pronouncements that are not favourable.
The DSS is not comfortable with their vocal criticism for violating rights of persons detained at its facility and making it look bad in the face of Nigerians,” the source said. Earlier before yesterday’s invasion and arrest, New Telegraph had reported 
exclusively that the DSS is probing some of the judges handling some of the cases involving the arms deal scam.
A source told Sunday Telegraph that one of the reasons the DSS don’t obey the court orders was because such orders were not genuinely obtained, but rather purchased.
The source said, “Some of the judgements are questionable. The DSS has already commenced investigation to establish a link between the judges handling the matter and the defendants as the case may be. That is one reason why the secret service has refused to obey some of the orders, because we know that they are not obtained on the ground of justice”.
The source further stated that any judge found guilty will definitely not escape justice. Sunday Telegraph recalls that Justice Nnamdi Dimgba had berated the DSS for flouting an order of the court to remand a defendant in prison.
He had ordered that a retired Air Commodore, Umar Mohammed, arraigned before him, be remanded in Kuje Prison pending the hearing of his bail application. But the DSS failed to produce him in court on the day his counsel argued his bail application. Justice Dimgba said he took strong exception to the service’s disregard for the court’s order by keeping the defendant in its custody, describing it as an embarrassment to democracy.
He, however, asked the prosecuting counsel, E.A Orji, to convey the grievances of the court to the Attorney- General and Minister of Justice. Another source who hinted Sunday Telegraph on the possible cause of Justice Ademola’s arrest said it was connected to the way he handled the Hezbollah matter and how he granted bail to the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd). The Federal Government, through the DSS, had on July 29, 2013, arraigned three Lebanese business men.
NEw Telegraph
