Judges arrest: Lawyer slams N50bn suit against AGF, DSS, IGP

A lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, has slammed a N50 billion suit against President Muhammadu Buhari, the Department of State Services (DSS) and its Director-General, Lawal Daura, along with others for allegedly violating the rights of judges whose houses were raided by DSS operatives between October 8 and 9.

Named as co-defendants in the suit are the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the National Judicial Council.

According to the plaintiff, the arrest of the judges without recourse to the NJC was unlawful and amounted to humiliating them.

The lawyer is suing on behalf of five of the arrested judges who are still in active service, namely, Justices Ngwuta, Okoro, Ademola, Pindiga and Dimgba.

The in his on the plaintiff suit that residences contended the raid of the judges and their arrest were unconstitutional, adding that the arrest did not follow the law.

He said the DSS operations violated the rights of judges under sections 33, 34, 35, 36, and 41 of the constitution.

The plaintiff sought 10 prayers, among which is an order awarding N50 billion against the defendants as “general and exemplary damages”.

He is also praying for an order compelling the DSS to return to the judges the sums of money recovered from them.