Home / Lead Story / DSS recovers N100 million, huge sums in foreign currencies from Judges’ residences; Accuses Gov. Wike of using thugs to stop action on Judge suspected to have $2m at home

DSS recovers N100 million, huge sums in foreign currencies from Judges’ residences; Accuses Gov. Wike of using thugs to stop action on Judge suspected to have $2m at home

Rivers State Governor,  Nyesom Ezenwo Wike  (m) former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Austin Opara  (r), Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah  (2nd right), Speaker,  Rivers State House of Assembly, Dabo Adams (l) and Member,  Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Ihunwo  in front of number 35 Forces Avenue
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (m) former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Austin Opara (r), Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah (2nd right), Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Dabo Adams (l) and Member, Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Ihunwo in front of number 35 Forces Avenue
dss
The Department of State Services (DSS) has explained the raids it conducted on the residences of some Judges of the Supreme Court, Appeal Court and Federal High Court, insisting that the operations were in connection with the anti-corruption crusade of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The Service also said that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike mobilised ‘thugs’ to prevent them from carrying out their assignment in Rivers State, pointing out that huge sums of money in local and foreign currencies were recovered from the residences of the Judges in Abuja while they were prevented from searching for and retrieving the equally huge amount($2million) that ‘credible intelligence’ revealed was stashed in the Judges residence.
The DSS, in the statement by Abdullahi GARBA, also said “it has tremendous respect for the Judiciary and would not do anything to undermine it or its activities,” pledging, however, that it would “join hands with this noble institution in its fight to rid it of few corrupt Judges” whose actions are undermining “not only the Judiciary but the common bond of our national life.”

Full text of the statement:

The Department of State Services (DSS) in the past few days, has embarked on series of special sting operations involving some Judges of the Supreme, Appeal and High Courts. These operations were based on allegations of corruptions and other acts of professional misconduct by a few of the suspected Judges. The Service action is in line with its core mandate, as we have been monitoring the expensive and luxurious lifestyle of some of the Judges as well as complaints from the concerned public over judgments obtained fraudulently and on the basis of amounts of money paid.

The judges involved were invited, upon which due diligence was exhibited and their premises searched. The searches have uncovered huge raw cash of various denominations, local and foreign currencies, with real estate worth several millions of Naira and documents affirming unholy acts by these Judges. Meanwhile, some of them have made useful statements while a few have declined even with the glaring evidences that were found against them in terms of material cash, documents and property recovered pointing to their compromise.

In one of the States where the Service operations were conducted, credible intelligence revealed that the Judge had Two Million United States Dollars ($2,000,000 USD) stashed in his house. When he was approached for due search to be conducted, he in concert with the State Governor, mobilized thugs against the Service team. The team restrained itself in the face of unbridled provocative activities by those brought in by the Governor. Unfortunately, the Judge and Governor also engaged the tacit support of a sister security agency.

The Service surveillance team noticed that upon frustrating the operation, the Judge with the active support of the Governor craftily moved the money to an unknown location which the Service is currently making effort to unravel.

Meanwhile, large amount including foreign/local currencies have been recovered. Summaries of these include:
SUMMARY OF RECOVERED MONEY
1. NAIRA – N93,558,000.00
2. DOLLARS – $530,087
3. POUNDS – £25,970
4. EURO – €5,680

Other foreign currencies were also recovered. This were recovered from just three (3) of the judges.

These in addition to other banking documents, including real estate documents have been recovered. Meanwhile preparations are ongoing to arraign them in a competent court of jurisdiction in line with the laws of the nation.

The Service would want to clearly state that it has never invited Justice Walter NKANU ONNOGHEN for investigation, neither is he being investigated by this Service. In addition the Service would like to put it on record, that it has tremendous respect for the Judiciary and would not do anything to undermine it or its activities. The Service will also join hands with this noble institution in its fight to rid it of few corrupt Judges whose actions is undermining not only the Judiciary but the common bond of our national life.

Ladies and gentlemen, this current operation will be sustained and followed till sanity and sanctity is restored to the esteemed third arm of government and public confidence is regained.

Members of the public are also encouraged to avail the Service of any information which could assist in this drive to rid our nation of corrupt practices and tendencies.

THANK YOU.
Abdullahi GARBA,
Department of State Services,
Abuja.
8th October, 2016.

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