As Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is pushes ahead with an anti-corruption drive, lawyers have criticised the arrest of six top judges EPA
Nigeria s1 state security agency detained six top judges and seized cash from their homes in a series of night time raids that lawyers have criticised for being unconstitutional.
The Department of State Services said it confiscated $800,000 in cash in the operation that was launched because of allegations of corruption and professional misconduct against the judges, including two supreme court justices. The weekend raids were part of President Muhammadu Buhari s anti-corruption drive2 and the first to target the judiciary. Mr Buhari3, a former military leader, won elections last year on a pledge to fight rampant graft in Africa s top crude producer that had rotted state institutions and emptied the government s coffers of billions of dollars in oil revenues. There have been longstanding concerns about corruption within the judiciary . But activists and lawyers said the manner in which the raids on the judges homes were conducted risk damaging the credibility of the anti-graft fight.
Lawyers who know the judges say they were arrested between 11pm and 4am in their homes, adding that arrest warrants are not normally valid for night time detentions . The lawyers also complain about the involvement of the state security agency rather than the normal police.
These military style operations are totally unacceptable in a democratic society, said Abubakar Mahmoud, head of the Nigerian Bar Association . These operations are illegal and unconstitutional.
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Others said the manner in which the arrests were conducted raised concerns about respect for rule of law . None of the judges have been formally charged.
Do we have corruption on the Nigerian bench ? Yes, said Chidi Odinkalu, senior legal officer for the Open Society Foundations African Justice Initiative . Is that acceptable, no it is not Is this the way to fight it ? No.
Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari s spokesman, reacted to the criticism by insisting in a social media post that the president was a committed democrat in words and in his action, and will not take any action in violation of the constitution . He said the arrests were an attack on corruption, not on the judiciary as an institution . But he drew further criticism by urging the media to be careful about the faultlines they open in reporting the arrests.
Mr Buhari has described the amount pillaged during the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan as mind boggling and launched domestic and international investigations in an attempt to repatriate looted money. The 73-year-old also recently announced a new war on indiscipline a contentious scheme he used in the 1980s as his government grapples with its worst economic crisis in more than two decades. Activists say the administration s approach to the anti-corruption campaign reflects a harsh line on a broader range of issues, including the treatment of minorities such as the Shia Muslim6 community . That group s social movement, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, which advocates on behalf of the community, was banned on Friday by a northern state.
The Kaduna state government said the group s unlawful activities, including obstructing roads with religious processions, were endangering peace . Membership in the group can now result in seven years in prison.
We are very anxious of where things are headed, said Clement Nwankwo, executive director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, a Nigerian civil society organisation . Trampling of peoples rights is what is of issue here.
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References
- ^ Nigeria s (www.ft.com)
- ^ anti-corruption drive (www.ft.com)
- ^ Mr Buhari (www.ft.com)
- ^ New hints and tips (www.ft.com)
- ^ More tips (www.ft.com)
- ^ Shia Muslim (www.ft.com)