PDP, Fayose say DSS raid on judges sacrilegious, crude

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fasoye, has condemned the raid on residences of judges in the country and the alleged attempt on the live of the Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, by operatives of the Deparment of State Services, DSS and men of the Nigeria Police on Saturday morning as sacrilegious and crude.

Nyesom Wike had reportedly intervened in an attempt by the operatives to arrest a serving judge of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt around 1am on Saturday morning.

Wike’s intervention reportedly angered the operatives, who allegedly corked their guns and threatened to shoot.

PDP’s Rivers State Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, in a statement signed by his media aide, Jerry Needam, frowned at the development, saying the unruly behavior of the overzealous security operatives is the worst of its kind in the history of Nigeria and is a cause for concern.

According to Obuah, the target is to find reason to declare a state of emergency in the State.

The statement reads: “The President, the National Assembly members, Judicial Officers, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and all relevant authorities and stakeholders should be put on notice on these acts of recklessness against Rivers State as injury to one is injury to all.

“There is no doubt that the Rivers State experience is exceptional and the democratic abuse by security agencies and their political paymasters is aimed at testing the mindset of the people and if left to stand will definitely go round and translate into a national malaise”, Obuah said.

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

Continuing, Obuah insisted that it’s unheard of anywhere in the world where legally constituted authorities like the DSS and the Police will break into the residence of a legitimate federal judicial officer of the status of a judge for the purpose of arrest in the wee hours of the day, citing order from above as their reason.

“This is an act of brigandage and roguery, worse still when a serving governor intervened, same security agents cocked their guns against the State Chief Executive/Security Officer in the presence of the State Police Commissioner and Director of DSS. This, though real is most unbelievable”.

He however appealed to residents of the state to remain calm in the face of the unprovoked attack and siege being perpetuated by those opposed to peace in the State so that they can have their way and continue with their exploitation and underdevelopment of Rivers State.

“We are happy and grateful God is on our side. Each time they come up with a new strategy to cause mayhem they end up hitting the air because even the gods of the land abhor their intentions. Nonetheless, this particular sacrilege of attempting to shoot our Governor will never be taken kindly,” Obuah said.

Similarly, Fayose, decried the raid and arrest of the judges, describing it as a direct assault on the judiciary.

Fayose, who particularly frowned at the treatment meted to Justice Walter Onnoghen, the next in line as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, wondered if it is not a plot to deny him the office because he is from the South South.

Fayose stated this wile addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti on Saturday.

Fayose said: “It should now be obvious to all Nigerians and the international community that democracy is under threat in Nigeria and Nigerians must rise to save democracy from being truncated.

“For all intent and purposes, there is no how the federal government can justify the gestapo and crude action of the DSS against our judiciary, the last hope of the common man and I believe they just want to hide under anti-corruption fight to blackmail and intimidate the judiciary. If not, have the affected judges been reported to the National Judicial Council (NJC), the body saddled with the responsibilities of investigating and sanctioning erring judges? Were the affected judges ever invited by the DSS and they refused to honour the invitation?

“I am particularly worried over the involvement of Justice Walter Onnoghen in the invasion, and I hope this is not a plot to prevent his appointment as the next CJN just because he is from the South South region.

“Nigerians should be reminded that I raised similar alarm when this regime of impunity started with the invasion of the Akwa-Ibom State government house and later the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

“I did say then that democracy in Nigeria was becoming unsafe in the hands of this APC government and that those keeping silent because of politics might also end up in the belly of the roaring lion that is threatening to consume our democracy. Then, those who ought to have joined in condemning the DSS impunity at that time kept silent for fear of the unknown.
Now we have gotten to the height of it and Nigeria faces full-blown military dictatorship! This is sad!

“It is more worrisome that two of the judges involved, Justice Adeniyi Ademola and Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ruled against the DSS and condemned its impunity on the cases of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and retired Air Commodore, Umar Mohammed and one wonders if upholding the rule of law by refusing to help the DSS to sustain its reign of impunity has now become a criminal offence for which judges must be harassed, intimidated and arrested”, the governor said.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

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