Chief Justice Of Nigeria Berates Buhari In Face-to-Face Meeting At Aso Rock (DETAILS)


by Kenneth Ebelemi | Sub Editor - October 11, 2016

Mahmud Mohammed, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, has confronted President Muhammadu Buhari in a face-to-face meeting in the Presidential Villa following the weekend crackdown on federal judges and two Supreme Court justices by the country’s secret police, The Trent can exclusively report.

The meeting, which held in the morning of Monday, October 10, 2016, was at the instance of the Honourable Justice Mohammed, multiple sources reveal.

Present at the meeting were Lawal Daura, the director-general of the Department of State Security Services, DSS, which serves as the country’s secret police and the president of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Babatunde Adejumo.

Our findings are that the meeting was very tense and the chief justice did not mince words when addressing the president on the matter. The visibly infuriated CJN tongue-lashed the president for violating the democratic principles of separation of powers and assuming the unconstitutional status of “supervisor” of the judiciary, an independent arm of government.

RELATED: Presidency Confirms That President Buhari Sanctioned DSS Crackdown On Judges

Justice Mohammed accused President Buhari of victimizing the judges targeted in the midnight crackdown by the DSS for refusing to be intimidated by the secret police over the matters of the election petitions of Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

According to one of our top inside sources, the CJN exposed a series of scare and intimidation tactics carried out by the DSS director general, a kinsman to President Buhari, to make the bench bow to its wishes and overturn the judgement against the current governors of two oil-rich states.

Mohammed expressly accused the DSS DG of using the name of President Buhari in carrying out what he called an “unprecedented attempt to influence the bench and pervert justice” in the country. The president was visibly upset by the revelations and repeatedly denied knowledge of such harassment of of judges by the DSS.

Mr. Daura attempted to deny knowledge of such subterranean moves and claimed that the judges that were arrested, in what the secret police wrongly termed as “sting operation”, were corrupt. A claim which saw the CJN shout him down telling him to shut up and sit down.

After lambasting the secret police boss, Justice Mohammed proceeded to unreel instances in which Daura contacted judges handling the election petition cases claiming that ruling in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates was “what President Buhari wanted”. [/b]Again, the president denies issuing such instructions.

[b]The CJN also revealed that the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi offered the judges millions of dollars to overturn their ruling on the two election petitions. He said the honourable justices rebuffed Amaechi because they were hellbent on delivering a sound judgment on the cases which had been unduly sensationalised by politicians.

Justice Mohammed revealed that Amaechi also said that he was acting on the orders of the president and that in actual fact, the judges arrested over the weekend were those who refused to be corrupted by the DSS and Amaechi and insisted on preserving the independence and integrity of the bench.

On this revelation, Buhari presented a disturbed contenance, our sources say. The president requested that the CJN puts down his position which we are reliably informed has been done.

Insiders revealed to The Trent that the climate in Aso Rock is unusually tense following the posture and damning revelations by the CJN.

There are whispers in the corridors that based on the gravity of the allegations against the DSS director and Amaechi, Buhari may let go of the duo to “clear his name from the embarrassing episode’, a top security source told our reporter.

Justice Mohammed went on to describe the DSS action as “very saddening”, “deeply regrettable” and a “distressing and unfortunate” incident when he later addressed the valedictory court session held in honour of a retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Suleiman Galadima. The attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami was conspicuously absent at the event on Monday.

In the early hours of Saturday, October 8, 2016, operatives of the county’s secret police invaded the homes of a number of senior judges and abducted some of them from the homes under the guise of an anti-corruption battle.

“My lords, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, not to detract from this occasion, it is indeed very saddening and deeply regrettable, the distressing and unfortunate incident which occurred on Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8, 2016,” Mohammed said at the valedictory court session held in honour of a retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Suleiman Galadima

President Buhari appointed Lawal Daura, his kinsman from his hometown in Katsina on July 2, as head of the DSS after firing Ita Ekpeyong. Daura was recalled from retirement as he had retired from the service of the DSS when he reached the mandatory age of 60 according to the Civil Service rules of Nigeria. He is also a member of Buhari’s political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and served on the security committee for Buhari’s presidential campaign.

While the election petitions were being heard at the courts, the INEC resident electoral commissioners (RECs) for Akwa Ibom, Austin Okojie, was detained and tortured for 13 days and his Rivers State counterpart, Gesila Khan , was also detained for two weeks by Nigeria’s secret police. The harassment, detention, and torture of electoral officials of the two oil rich states was reportedly connected with the interest of President Buhari in reclaiming electoral victory from main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in those states.

None of the INEC officials detained by the DSS have been charged with any crime and the election petitions were eventually ruled in favour of the PDP by the Supreme Court.

http://www.thetrentonline.com/chief-justice-nigeria-confronts-buhari/

Oya Lala Fp material

Lalasticlala!!! lalasticlala!!! lalasticlala This is very hot and revealing!!! come and take this thread to the permanent site.The very Dirty DSS must be exposed

hmmmn, eye opener..

Grabs popcorn

DSS = Dirty Secret Service

There are whispers in the corridors that based on the gravity of the allegations against the DSS director and Amaechi, Buhari may let go of the duo to “clear his name from the embarrassing episode’, a top security source told our reporter

I want this case to go to court so that vall the dirts can be thrown !! lets the mudslinging begin!!! Buhari has been using Daura to do his dirty works!!! It would soon get blown all over his face.Buhari can never wash his hands off this scandal

There is an urgent need to knock some sense into his skull.

This is a lie! Maybe , CJN too is just as corrupt as the judges in question.

Trent news is rubbish. I knew somewhere along the line, Ameachi's name would come up and I wasn't disappointed. Anybody that believes this trash will believe anything. Trentonline is the Ibo version of saharareporters . The fake, substandard and imitation version. That is why they go about spreading fake news.

Lies about the judges been corrupt apc is a develish party

Buhari cannoy sack Amaechi. Amaechi is a loose cannon that can sing like a parrot . He is not like Tinubu that can keep quiet and plan.

seunmsg:
Trent news is rubbish. I knew somewhere along the line, Ameachi's name would come up and I wasn't disappointed. Anybody that believes this trash will believe anything.

Trent news tries very hard to be like saharareporters but na learners dem still be

See the bunch of fools fighting corruption.....when I realized this country is dead is when entertainers now talks about politics you will see sound educated youths with masters degree writing lol,without correcting the misinformed individual who didn't even finish SSCE.

Corruption has started fighting back. Rubbish story probably fabricated by the Wike camp.
The Trent is one of those junk journalism for sale platform.
How come you didn't say that it was DSS that suspended judges even the NJC itself has recommended for prosecution done to preempt the eventual prosecution of all corrupt judges

Who still believes Trent? Can anything good come from them. Nwakaudu's newspaper.

And some stupor heads won't let me rest because of their misguided injection of integrity into the life of a very corrupt man that should be sent home so that the nation can be at peace.

Thought bubu is in charge..but be like say bubu is not in control

Was expecting to see a good source but come see Trent.... fake source

Shame on Buhari!!! Shame on the DSS!!! I can't wait to hear the communique of NJC after their meeting today

If you are a Nigerian nothing should surprise you.

I pity the generation unborn

the CJN showed the president of some persons close to him who had funneled monies to judges to influence them in recent election cases.
The President then reluctantly asked the DSS to release all the arrested judges on Sunday pending their arraignment in court.
source...http://saharareporters.com/2016/10/11/how-nigerian-national-judicial-council-shields-corrupt-judges

Trent news?

Please, spare my MB!!!!

Goke7:


Trent news tries very hard to be like saharareporters but na learners dem be

Trentonline is the Ibo version of saharareporters. They give us the fake and unsubstantiated news from the pit of hell.

This is so true. Justice John inyang okoro rejected bribes from amechi and Umana umana. The thing is, these judges are too smart to commit the frivolous crimes being spread by the dss. During the election tribunal, there were massive intimidation of judges up to the appeal court. If you observe apc won those stages. It was at the Supreme Court level that the 2 arrested judges of the Supreme Court rejected bribes and refuted intimidation from Apc that justice was served. Very soon the truth will come out even the tape conversation between amechi with justice okoro trying to bribe him and he rejected.

let me park here first

onomeasike:
Corruption has started fighting back. Rubbish story probably fabricated by the Wike camp.
The Trent is one of those junk journalism for sale platform.
How come you didn't say that it was DSS that suspended judges even the NJC itself has recommended for prosecution done to preempt the eventual prosecution of all corrupt judges

Are you sure you bread this report? Which NJC suspended the judges? is the CJN not the chairman of the NJC?

simplex2:
Trent news?

Please, spare my MB!!!!

YES ITS TRENT AND NOT YOUR LYIMNG SAHARA REPORTERS!!! SHAME ON THE DSS AND BUHARI

Caseless:
This is a lie! Maybe , CJN too is just as corrupt as the judges in question.

So after reading all these this is only thing your brain can come up with? smh

Finally wind don blow, we don see fowl yanch

If true, I applaud that Northerner and may God bless him

EternalTruths:
If true, I applaud that Northerner and may God bless him

That man is truly fearless.Its so sad he is retiring soon.I just hope that justice Onnogen will have his courage!!! The portion of the report I so much loved is this
"

Mr. Daura attempted to deny knowledge of such subterranean moves and claimed that the judges that were arrested, in what the secret police wrongly termed as “sting operation”, were corrupt. A claim which saw the CJN shout him down telling him to shut up and sit down

cktheluckyman:


There are whispers in the corridors that based on the gravity of the allegations against the DSS director and Amaechi, Buhari may let go of the duo to “clear his name from the embarrassing episode’, a top security source told our reporter

I want this case to go to court so that vall the dirts can be thrown !! lets the mudslinging begin!!! Buhari has been using Daura to do his dirty works!!! It would soon get blown all over his face.Buhari can never wash his hands off this scandal

Amaechi Rotimi should concentrate on his job as Minister of Transport (a big portfolio for that matter) and re-invent some good name for himself. The perception of him down South as Judas is disturbing enough that one would have thought he'ld be in no position to be named in all dirty politicking since the inception of this administration.
Had it been GEJ won the last election, Rotimi would have been somewhere close to James Ibori's present location. Now he enjoys immunity which he does not consider fair enough but is hell bent on engaging Wike, GEJ and Wife on a battle using all apparatus of Government at APC's disposal.
I don't see Amaechi serving out this term as a Minister if he doesn't heed to wisdom and concentrate on his portfolio