Invasion of judges home is an abomination– CDRP

By Segun Adejumo

A human rights group, the Committee for Democracy and Rights of the People (CDRP) has condemned the overnight invasion of some judges of Supreme, Appeal and High Court of justice home across the country describing it as a democratic abomination and therefore condemnable.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary General of the group, Comrade Waheed Saka in Osogbo, on Sunday.

Waheed Saka

According to Comrade Waheed, there is no justification for a military style arrest and harassment of judges suspected to have compromised their duty and the only recognised authority to sanction erring judicial officer is National Judicial Council (NJC), therefore the activities of Department of State Security Services (DSSS) is not only

unconstitutional but also against every known tenets of democratic Separation of power.

In his words “The invasion of judges home is a bad omen for our democracy, it is in bad faith and bad taste to enter the sacred home of judges in a Gestapo style. It was a rule of force against the rule of law. If there is an allegation of corruption against a judge, the DSSS can simply summon the judge or petition the National Judicial Council, indeed the recent sanctioned of some judges and subsequent hand-over for prosecution has reinforced that the NJC is working hard to sanitise the judiciary.

“The Directorate of State Security Service must not make the anti-corruption war a war against our constitution, our judiciary and ultimately our democracy, the difference between animal kingdom and human society is democracy and rule of law.”

CDRP therefore demand unconditional release of judges in custody of DSSS and allow the NJC to sanction the judges if there is incontrovertible evidence of corrupt practices against them, our nation must never be ruled by force in whatever guise, it is a bad precedence that must not allow to stand.