Judiciary under attack as police, DSS harass Gov Wike for blocking arrest of judge

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State early hours of Saturday morning, claimed men of the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Security (DSS) almost gunned him down for his refusal to allow them arrest a judge in the state by 1am.

According to Wike, the police and DSS operatives were at the judge’s residence at number 35/84B, Forces Avenue, Port Harcourt by 1am to abduct him before the he mobilised to stop them.

He disclosed to newsmen at the Judge’s residence after the alleged failed attempt to abduct the judge, that he was manhandled in the process of resisting the judge’s abduction at that hour of day by men of the DSS and the police.

“What has happened this night is unfortunate. Even in military government it has never happened like this, you listen to people. This is why we are here. I said not under my watch will I allow this type of activity take place.

“The DSS, Police, they cocked their guns and said they will shoot me. And I told them I have never heard this type of thing happen before. Again this is to show that more of this will come,” Wike said.

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The governor said he was still in shock why the security men will choose 1 am to storm the residence of the judge, adding that their action denotes danger for the nation’s democracy.

Wike said the proper thing he felt the security men should have done would have been to invite the judge and if for any reason he refused to honour their invitation, then other legal steps should then follow.

He added that he was not concerned to know the name of the judge but he only had to come out to stop the attempted abduction of the judge because as Chief Security officer of the state he would not allow such lawlessness take place.

Meanwhile, emerging reports indicate that DSS operatives carried out a similar raid to pick up other judges in Abuja and Gombe state.

In Abuja, after a siege on the Judicial Officers’ Quarters, they reportedly whisked away Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja Federal High Court, while Justice Muazu Pindiga was arrested in a similar operation carried out in Gombe.

Justice Pindiga was the first chairman of the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal, but was changed midway into the hearing of the petition against the 2015 election that produced Wike as governor.

There were also reports that the DSS operatives also invaded the residences of two Justices of the Supreme Court – Justices Walter Onnoghen and Sylvester Ngwuta. The fate of the two judges was still unclear after the midnight operation as at the time of this report.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

 

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