Arrested Judges: Court summons Buhari, DSS, Others To Appear Nov 15

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Friday, ordered President Muhammadu Buhari and the Director-General of the Department of State Service, DSS, Mr. Lawal Daura, to appear on

November 15 to show cause why seven judges arrested between October 7 and 8 should be prosecuted. Others equally summoned to appear before the court were the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the National Judicial Council, NJC. They were all cited as Respondents in a legal action that was instituted before the high court by a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje. Though President Buhari will not appear in person, he is expected to brief a lawyer to represent him before the court on that date. The plaintiff had in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/809/16, applied for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents from arresting, inviting, intimidating, or harassing any of the judges whose homes were raided in the “sting operation” conducted by the DSS. He contended that the arrest and detention of the judges without recourse to the NJC, was not only unconstitutional, but also aimed at ridiculing the judiciary arm of government. According to him, the action of the DSS was in gross violation of rights of the judges as enshrined in sections 33, 34, 35, 36, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Consequently, Ogungbeje sought ten separate reliefs from the court, including award of N50billion as general and exemplary damages against the Respondents, as well as another N2million as cost of the suit. He equally prayed the court for an order compelling the DSS to return to the judges, money that were seized from their homes.
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