Judges targeted in Nigeria's anti-corruption drive

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

Nigeria’s secret police arrested four senior judges late Friday and Saturday in apparent anti-corruption operations, judicial sources said.

Federal High Court Justices Muazu Pindigi and Adeniyi Ademola and Supreme Court Justices John Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta were arrested in capital Abuja by Department for State Security (DSS) officers, three judicial sources told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

The arrests of Okoro and Ngwuta were later confirmed by the office of Chief Justice Mahmoud Mohammed.

In oil-rich Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike claimed that he had foiled a similar overnight attempt to “abduct” a judge in state capital Port Harcourt. In a statement released Saturday, Wike claimed to have been manhandled by police officers.

“The illegal siege on Rivers State by federal security agencies continued unabated during the early hours of Saturday as hundreds of Department of State Services operatives and policemen attempted to illegally abduct a Federal High Court judge,” spokesman Simeon Nwakaudu said.

The statement said the raid was led by the state police chief Tosin Ajayi and DSS director Francis Odesanya.

Police declined to comment on the raids when contacted by Anadolu Agency.

The operations are thought to be part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption. He has repeatedly accused the judges and lawyers of frustrating his anti-graft crusade by working to free suspects and delaying trials.