CLO, Intersociety condemn invasion of Judges’ homes  

As condemnation trailed the invasion of Judges’ homes by the operatives of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), the human right community in South East  have called for unconditional release of the Judges.

 In a separate statement by the Civil  Liberties Organisations (CLO), South East and the International Society for Civil Rights and Rule of Law (Intersociety), they also  asked “all conscienstious  and courageous citizens of Nigeria and international community to rise in a strong condemnation of the abominable attacks on the members of the bench”.

The Intersociety in a statement signed by its Board of Trustee (BoT) Chairman, Nze Emeka Umeagbalasi, said  Nigerians should avoid keeping quiet  over various rights abuses by the President  Muhammed  Buhari’s administration which has climaxed with the latest invasion of Judges’ homes in the pretext that he was fighting corruption.

Umeagbalasi said: “ We must collectively force the Buhari administration to stick to the rule of law, constitutionalism, constitutional liberties  and streamlined procedures and processes in its so called  corruption fight”.

    In his own statement, Comrade Alloysius Attah, chairman, South East CLO, said the midnight invasion of judges‘ homes by the DSS has brought to the fore the reality that Democracy, Rule of  Law and respect for the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are under serious threat in the administration of  President Buhari.

He said: “The gestapo style of the DSS operation is a sad reminder that after 17 years of return to civilian administration , dictatorship and all other accompanying derivatives of the military regime are still here with us .

Without holding brief for the affected judges even when the DSS has already declared them guilty as charged, it is a settled maxim that there are legally accepted procedures for criminal arrest,  investigation, prosecution and conviction.“

He continued: “Nigeria as a nation-state also has relevant agencies and bodies charged with the responsibility of addressing corruption, financial malfeasance and other related offence“, warning that if  the DSS under Buhari was  left unchecked it may become another  Strike Force, the deadly group formed by the late maximum ruler, Sani Abacha.

 “The DSS action is morally and legally reprehensible and there is nothing to cheer or justify their action over the huge sums of cash said to have been recovered from the judge’s homes, after all the DSS is not a money recovering agency while we are yet to see the impact or told where the government has channeled all the huge sums of monies bandied about as reportedly recovered from looters.The defence put up by the DSS and the Presidency in their separate public statements trying to justify their action cannot fly because one cannot stand in illegality to fight another illegality”the CLO boss continued..

 The group  also challenged the Presidency to be holistic in its anti- corruption drive,  starting from the full disclosure of President Muhammed Buhari’s  campaign funds and probing those presently serving in his cabinet who have several cases of corruption hanging on their necks while they served as governors or other political officers.

  He urged Nigerians to  rise and defend this democracy because no one is safe under this trend.