By Mohammad Bashiri/Jonathan Emmanuel
Abuja – Mixed reactions continues to trail the crackdown of judges by men of the Department of State Services (DSS).
In Dutse, the residents commended the Federal Government for the crackdown on judges for alleged corruption.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that the crackdown was a step in the right direction.
Malam Muhammad Ahmad, a civil servant, urged the Federal Government to maintain the tempo, adding that it would help in sensitising the entire judiciary and the country at large.
“I must commend the Federal Government for this bold step, in short, no one expected this because judiciaries think they are untouchable,” Ahmad said.
Another resident, who gave his name as Rufa’i Hamza, said the action was a pointer that the present administration was serious about its fight against corruption.
“We are very happy to witness this in our lifetime, this shows that government is serious about fighting corruption,” Hamza said.
Hamza further urged Nigerians to ignore threats by the Nigerian Bar Association and any other group, saying that “they are trying to distract our attentions from supporting the government in this direction.
Hajiya Maryam Shehu, a trader, said Nigerian judges had been abusing the independence of the judiciary for long, saying that “It high time they knew that they are not above the law too”.
“President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has really shown that it really fighting corruption with all sincerity.
“So, the crackdown on the judges is a welcome development and showed no one is above the law, including judicial workers,” Shehu said.
Shehu, therefore, urged Nigerians, irrespective of religion, tribe or section to support Buhari to ensure that corrupt civil servants and others were fished out and dealt with.
“If this is achieved, I swear the future of the country will be brighter,” Shehu said. (NAN
In Uyo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom has criticised the crackdown.
The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Ini Ememobong, made the party’s position known in a press conference in Uyo on Monday.
Ememobong described as shameful the flagrant display of military action in a democratic dispensation.
According to him, the invasion of the judges houses can be further described as ‘burglary and kidnapping’ of these persons by the DSS.
He said that if Nigerians and professional bodies did not rise up to defend democracy and left judiciary undefended, democracy would be threatened to its roots.
“The president should know that this country is ruled by law and as
Nigerians; we will defend those laws and democracy with all we have.
“If there were reasonable suspicions the law created the National Judiciary Council (NJC) and gives them the responsibility to discipline judges.
“Recently, the Chief Judge of Enugu state was disciplined without the intervention of anybody and therefore the act of burgling into their homes and kidnapping them is totally condemned.
“Every security agency is established by law, the law sets out the
level to which they can act.
“The law establishing the DSS says they shall be concern with the detection and prevention of crimes that relate to internal security, not fraud, not bribery and corruption which they are envisaging,” he said.
He alleged that this action by the DSS might not be unconnected with the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government plans to intimidate judges.
He called on Nigerians to support the judiciary, adding that the judiciary would come out of this stronger and firmer and would do justice according to the law.