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10, October 2016
Nigeria: 800,000 dollars seized from Judges 0
In the ongoing fight against corruption in Nigeria carried out by the security agency, Department of State Services (DSS) over 800,000 U.S. Dollars in various currencies, have been recovered from some Supreme, Appeal and High Court judges following sting operations in their premises, Reuters reported.
The Department of State Services in a statement on Saturday, October 8, 2016 said its raids were carried out to investigate allegations of corruption against the judges. “We have been monitoring the expensive and luxurious lifestyle of some of the judges as well as complaints from the concerned public over judgment obtained fraudulently and on the basis amounts of money paid,” Reuters quoted the DSS statement. DSS said it had found, “cash of various denominations, local and foreign currencies, with real estate worth several millions of naira and documents affirming unholy acts by these judges”.
Sahara Reporters media organ citing DSS sources, said an overnight raids were carried out on the residences of some nine court judges culminating in the arrest of several of them. It said the raids came as a result of petitions and decisions of the National Judicial Council (NJC), a statutory body that regulates the activities of judges. Full details of the money recovered indicate that there were 93,558,000.00 Naira, 530,087 U.S. Dollars, 25,970 Pounds and 5,680 Euros, as well as other amounts in some foreign currencies. Reports say the money was recovered from the premises of just three of the arrested judges.
Reports say two Supreme Court justices, John Inyang Okoro and Sylvanus Ngwuta, were arrested in connection with the receipt of bribes from Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. Justice Ngwuta reportedly traveled to Qatar to receive bribes that he shared with Justice Okoro and other justices in order to help Mr. Wike to win a case at the Supreme Court regarding his disputed election. It is said that the two judges have been linked with massive properties development in Abuja and Calabar. Other judge concerned includes Justice Muhammad Ladan Tsamiya, an Appeal Court, Justice Adeniyi Ademola and Justice Kabiru Auta.
Culled from Cameroon Tribune