DSS arrests two more judges, freeze accounts of others under investigation

Agents of the Department of State Security DSS have arrested two more judges over allegations of corruption. According to The Nation, Justices Bashir Sukola and Ladan Manir of the Kaduna State High Court, were arrested in Kaduna and taken to the DSS Headquarters in Abuja at about 8.30pm yesterday October 12th.

A source in the DSS says that accounts of some of the judges currently under investigation have been frozen.

“Some accounts have been frozen through orders of the court. This affects some of the judges. Not all of them. We found some huge lodgements that are questionable in some accounts and in addition to that we also observed the inflow of their salaries over a long period without them making any withdrawal at all. What that means is that they don’t live on their salaries at all. Those accounts have been frozen but as I said not all of the judges are affected.”

The source stated that the judges have not been charged to court because the National Judicial Council NJC is yet to make a pronouncement on the matter

“We are waiting for the action of the NJC. We expect the NJC to suspend them, otherwise it’s like taking a sitting judge to court. In the Service, when anybody is being investigated for any serious crime, the first thing we do is to place such a person on suspension. After the investigation, such a person would face trial and get dismissed from service on conviction and later face prosecution in the law court.”