NJC TACKLES DSS FOR THREATENING THE PEACE OF THE JUDICIARY

NJC stings DSS, blames it for threatening the independence of legal Apparatus 

The National Judicial Commission (NJC) has blamed the Directorate for State Services (DSS) of acting outside the limits of due process and illegally, in the way it did the capture of judges in the continuous hostile to debasement work out. It denounced the DSS, being a division of the official arm of government, of endeavor to overawe and threaten the legal arm of the administration. The NJC made this known in a squeeze explanation marked by Soji Oye, Esq the NJC Acting Director (Information). The NJC additionally repeated its outright trust in organization of President Muhammadu Buhari Administration and its steady assurance to maintain the standards of vote based system and additionally detachment of forces and the run of law. 

Perused FULL TEXT OF THE PRESS RELEASE: THE POSITION OF THE NATIONAL JUDICIAL COUNCIL ON THE RECENT INVASION OF THE RESIDENCES AND ARREST OF JUDICIAL OFFICERS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE SERVICES (DSS) 

At its last Emergency Meeting which was hung on October eleventh 2016, Council chose different matters, as takes after: That the National Judicial Council is a creation, by goodness of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as changed, with its forces indicated in Paragraph 21 of Part One of the Third Schedule whereof. That by excellence of Section 160 of the 1999 Constitution, Council designed out: Judicial Discipline Regulations; ii) Revised NJC Guidelines and Procedural Rules for the Appointment of Judicial Officers of every Superior Court of Record; iii) Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and iv) National Judicial Policy to between alia, control its own strategy while practicing its Constitutional Powers. 3. That Section 158 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as changed, has unequivocally accommodated the autonomy of the National Judicial Council versus coordinating or controlling it by any power or individual while practicing its forces. 4. Repeated its total trust in President Muhammadu Buhari Administration and its faithful assurance to maintain the Principles of Democracy, Separation of Powers and the Rule of Law revered in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as corrected and the United Nations Charter, which Nigeria is a Member. 5. That it should keep on supporting the President Buhari Administration in its battle against defilement in every one of its implications in the Federation; and in purifying the Judiciary of degenerate Judicial Officers. 6. Be that as it may, communicates its grave worry on the late intrusion of the Residences and capture of some serving and suspended Judicial Officers by the Department of State Services ("DSS"); and censured the activity completely. 7. Seen the activity as a risk to the Independence of the Judiciary, which predicts extraordinary threat to our majority rules system; furthermore considered the activity as an unmistakable endeavor by the DSS to mortify, scare, stigmatize and dairy animals the Judiciary. Foundation FACTS 8.1 RE: HON. Equity SYLVESTER NGWUTA The Public knows that Hon. Equity Sylvester Ngwuta, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, was captured after his House was attacked by intensely equipped and conceal agents of the Department of States Security on Friday7th October, 2016. The agents did not go out until 12.00 twelve of the next day, when he was whisked away to the ("DSS") office. 8.2 RE: HON. Equity INYANG OKORO The Residence of Hon. Equity Inyang Okoro, a Justice of Supreme Court of Nigeria, was attacked in similar way and was captured by similar agents of the DSS. In opposition to the claim by the DSS and as distributed in the electronic and print media, Council has never gotten any request of against the previously mentioned Judicial Officers: Hon. Judges Ngwuta and Okoro of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, by the DSS. 8.3 RE: HON. Equity MUHAMMED LADAN TSAMIYA OF THE COURT OF APPEAL At its Meeting which was hung on 29th September, 2016, Council had discovered His Lordship at fault of expert unfortunate behavior in opposition to Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the arrangements of Section 292 of 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. In like manner, he was prescribed to Mr President for obligatory retirement from office taking after the request of composed by one Mr Nnamdi Iro Oji for requesting the entirety of N200,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) fix. It is to be focused on that from the confirmation before the Council, Hon. Equity Ladan Tsamiya did not get N200m pay off. The Petitioner illustrated confirmation to bolster his assertion that Hon. Equity Tsamiya requested for the cash. In the practice of its energy, Council had suspended Justice Tsamiya from office, pending when the President will follow up on the suggestion. Also, Mr. President has endorsed the suggestion of the Council and mandatorily resigned His Lordship from office yesterday, the twelfth day of October, 2016. 8.4. RE: HON. Equity I. A. UMEZULIKE, OFR Hon. Equity I. A. Umezulike, OFR, Chief Judge, Enugu State, was prescribed for necessary retirement from office to Enugu State Governor for gross offense, as per the appeal to composed against him by Mr. Dwindle Eze. Meanwhile, National Judicial Council has suspended His Lordship from office pending when the Governor of Enugu State will follow up on its proposal. 8.5. RE: HON. Equity A. F. A. ADEMOLA, OF THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT Hon. Equity A. F. A. Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division has been appealed to by Hon. Jenkins Duviegiane Gwebe on claims verging on degenerate practices. Right now, a Committee of the Council is examining the assertions. There is no other request of against Hon. Equity Ademola from DSS pending at the National Judicial Council. 8.6. RE: HON. Equity KABIRU AUTA, KANO STATE HIGH COURT Hon. Equity Kabiru Auta was researched by Council in light of affirmations of degenerate practices leveled against him in a request of sent to Council by one Alhaji Kabiru Yakassai. His Lordship was prescribed to the Governor of Kano State for expulsion from office by rejection. Board composed independently to the AIG Kano Zone 1, for Police to indict Hon. Equity Auta. Board has suspended His Lordship from office pending when the Governor will follow up on its proposal. 8.7 RE: HON. Equity MUAZU PINDIGA OF HIGH COURT, GOMBE STATE The DSS appealed to the Hon. Boss Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council affirming degenerate practices against Hon. Equity Pindiga, between alia:- "i) That the Hon. Judge in an offer to illicitly improve himself, consummated plans through outsider intermediaries/conductors, with a view to affecting the result of the Election Tribunal in the governorship surveys for the occupant Governor Nyesom Wike. ii) That further progressing circumspect examination, Justice Pindiga is seen to have unlawfully advanced himself through degenerate means. Part of the ill-conceived continues suspected to have gathered to Pindiga incorporates the underlisted: a) Two (2) finished pieces of six (6) units 2 room pads in Federal Low Cost Estate in Gombe city; b) Four (4) units of cottage in another part of the Estate; c) An uncompleted property at GRA in Gombe Metropolis; d) a Mercedes Benz C300 auto for the sake of MUBAJJAL; e) A Toyota Venza-Model SUV. iii) From all signs, it is evident that Pindiga, who is an extremely Senior Justice in Gombe State, is exceptionally degenerate. His nonstop stay as a Justice in any way would likely humiliate the present organization and deviant the reason for equity. In perspective of the prior, it is emphatically prompted that quick vital authoritative and legal measures be gone up against him, including fitting approvals and trial to set a point of reference to others of his like". The dissension containing the assertions of degenerate practices against the Hon. Judge were passed on in a letter Ref No. DGSS71/3161 and dated 26th February, 2016, composed by the DSS to the Hon. Boss Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council. The appeal to was not upheld by a confirming affirmation ousted to by the DSS, as required by the National Judicial Council Discipline Regulations 2014. The Petition ought to have been neglected for resistance with the National Judicial Council Regulations, yet by letter Ref. No. NJC/S.15/HC.GM/5/1/128 dated nineteenth April, 2016, the DSS was told and asked for to go along and to dismiss to a confirming sworn statement in support of the charges of degenerate practices leveled against the Hon. Judge. By letter Ref No. LSD.232/4/68 dated sixth May, 2016, to the Council, the DSS removed to a confirming affirmation in regard of the charges against Justice Pindiga. On the order of the Council, Hon. Equity Mu'azu Pindiga reacted to the claims against him by DSS. From that point, a Committee containing Members of the Council researched the claims of degenerate practices. Both Parties – The DSS and Hon. Equity Mu'azu Pindiga, together with their witnesses and advice showed up before the Panel set up by Council in consistence with the National Judicial Discipline Regulations and Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as revised, on the Right to Fair Hearing. The DSS was spoken to by a Director, S. U. Gambo, Esq. who is likewise a Legal Practitioner in the Department and Hon Justice Pindiga was spoken to by Joe Agi, SAN. Toward the end of the examination, the DSS couldn't substantiate any of the assertions of degenerate practices either by narrative or oral confirmation against the Hon. Equity Pindiga. Therefore, at its Meeting of fifteenth July, 2016, Council chose to excuse

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