Following the recent crackdown on alleged corrupt judges across the country by operatives of the Directorate of State Services, DSS, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Isiaka Olagunju, says it is only in Nigeria arrests are made before investigations are carried out.
He stated that it was erroneous to level allegations of corruption against the Nigeria Judicial Council, NJC.
Recall that the operatives of the DSS had raided the official quarters of some judges at Abuja, Gombe, Kano and Port Harcourt and were said to have ended up arresting at least four judicial officers.
But Olagunju, while speaking with RayPower FM yesterday, stated that the raid on the homes of the judges was not done in line with due process.
He said, “Please we should not forget that just about a week ago, the NJC dismissed three justices — one justice of the court of appeal and two judges of the high court — and even recommended the prosecution of one of them.
“Any allegation against the NJC, with due respect, is quite erroneous. Apparently, they are not aware of the position of the NJC; we always rely on what we read on the newspapers and social media.
“It’s only in Nigeria we arrest before we investigate; we are not saying the judges are corrupt or not corrupt but due process was not followed. If a constable is found not doing the right thing he is firstly dismissed before he is prosecuted. The fight against corruption is a process.
“Based on the facts available to us, the NBA, NJC is doing what they are supposed to do and they are doing well. There may be room for improvement; we are not saying they are perfect.
“Of course there is no perfect condition in life, but if you need room for improvement, there must be engagement. It’s not by confrontation; it’s by engagement to achieve what you want to achieve.
“We need to appreciate the efforts made by the NJC. If you want to make comments, you should make comments with the facts available to us, we should not rely on speculation,” Olagunju added.
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