Says No Rift With Executive Arm
Faults NBA’s Call For Judges’ Suspension

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday appealed to Nigerians not to lose faith in the judiciary over allegations of corruption leveled against its members.
It was the second time the CJN was making a statement in reaction to the arrest of seven judges earlier in the month by the Department of Security Service (DSS) for alleged professional misconduct and corruption.
The arrests and revelations of recovery of millions of foreign and local currencies in the judges’ houses in different parts of the country have generated a lot of reactions from many Nigerians, with most of them accusing the judiciary of shielding corrupt officials.
But Justice Mohammed said the Third Arm of government was on the same page as the executive in its ongoing crackdown on corruption in every sector.
He said the judiciary would on its own hand over corrupt judicial officers to the executive arm of government for prosecution, so far a prima facie case was established against such officers.
The CJN, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant, H. S. Sa’eed, said he was worried by the “rising antagonism” against the judiciary and begged Nigerians to continue to have faith in it.
“Under the powers provided by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and as the Head of the Third Arm of Government, the Honourable, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman National Judicial Council, Honourable Justice Mahmud Mohammed, GCON is calling on all Nigerians to continue to have faith and full confidence in the Nigerian Judiciary,” the statement said.
“The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria is indeed deeply concerned by the rising antagonism over the recent arrest of our judicial officers and other issues pertaining thereto,” it said.
Justice Mohammed said there was no rift between the executive and the judiciary or any other arm of government, adding that the judiciary was not in any way on trial.
The judiciary’s position over the arrest of the judges, according to him, should not be misconstrued to mean that it was shielding corrupt judicial officers.
“Furthermore, it must be reiterated that the current misunderstanding is only between the National Judicial Council (NJC), which was established by the Constitution and the Directorate of the State Security (DSS), in the Presidency. Hence, we must emphasize that the Judiciary continues to maintain cordial relations with the other arms of government, that is, the Executive and the National Assembly.
“The Hon. CJN reiterates that the Nigerian judiciary, as an arm of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is not a party in this matter, nor is the Nigerian judiciary on trial,” he said.
He also faulted the call by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, A. B. Mahmoud, SAN, for the affected judicial officers to be asked to step aside, saying the call was “unnecessary and hasty as the said judicial officers are still being investigated by the DSS. Furthermore, the DSS is yet to forward any complaint or any official communication regarding the seven judicial officers to the National Judicial Council.”
“Indeed, some of the affected judicial officers have already been investigated by the NJC, which found some culpable and recommended their removal from office by dismissal or retirement to the resident and respective governors as provided under the constitution. While some are still being investigated by the NJC, in respect of others, no complaint against them has been received by the NJC whose powers to suspend must be exercised in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution establishing it.
“The National Judicial Council is currently investigating the various complaints made against a number of judicial officers. As soon as such investigations are completed, appropriate recommendations will be made to the president or governors, as the case may be, who will have the final say on the fate of the affected judicial officers who could then be charged for the offences disclosed from the facts against them and be prosecuted if necessary.”
The CJN, however, maintained that the midnight raiding of the houses of the judicial officers by operatives of the DSS amounted to an attack against the independence of the judiciary.
“The Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria also wishes to state in clear terms that the ‘sting’ operations carried out by the DSS on 07 and 08 October 2016 was certainly an assault on the independence of the Nigerian Judiciary. Nonetheless, the judiciary fully supports the anti-corruption drive of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammdu Buhari, GCFR. The Nigerian judiciary has never and will never shield any judicial officer who is found to be guilty of corruption, however, the Hon. CJN believes that due process and the rule of law must be followed.
“As a testament to our commitment to uphold the Constitution, the Nigerian Judiciary continues to function and our courts remain open to all who seek remedy.
“With the support and good will of all Nigerians, the Nigerian Judiciary will continue to serve with all its heart and might,” he added.


http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/anger-at-judiciary-worries-me-cjn-mahmud/168162.html

The executive has succeeded in demonizing all arms of government except itself.

Exactly

I'm angry at them too.

God help Nigeria

Pidggin:
The executive has succeeded in demonizing all arms of government except itself.

It is a prelude to Buhari's 2nd term agenda as orchestrated by the cabal running affairs in the kitchen cabinet of the figure-head leader looter.
All criticism, opposition and democratic institutions of checks & balance must be silenced at all costs just as Adolf Hitler did eight decades ago.

anonimi:



Enabling Act of 1933

The Enabling Act (German: Ermächtigungsgesetz) was a 1933 Weimar Constitution amendment that gave the German Cabinet – in effect, Chancellor Adolf Hitler – the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag. It passed in both the Reichstag and Reichsrat on 24 March 1933, and was signed by President Paul von Hindenburg later that day. The act stated that it was to last four years unless renewed by the Reichstag, which occurred twice. The Enabling Act gave Hitler plenary powers. It followed on the heels of the Reichstag Fire Decree, which abolished most civil liberties and transferred state powers to the Reich government. The combined effect of the two laws was to transform Hitler's government into a de facto legal dictatorship.

The formal name of the Enabling Act was Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich ("Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich". It was enacted by the Reichstag (meeting at the Kroll Opera House), where non-Nazi members were surrounded and threatened by members of SA and SS. The Communists had already been repressed and were not able to vote, and some Social Democrats were kept away as well. In the end, nearly all of those present voted for the act, except for the Social Democrats, who voted against it.

More from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933

Tallesty1:
God help Nigeria

Kindly explain HOW God will/can help our country if we the citizens do NOTHING to help ourselves
Thanks.



www.nairaland.com/attachments/4138528_fbimg1471362711749_jpeg32428b294a57b4debde63e3fd7301227

When will d daura secret service crack down on the executivesam highly disappointed with dis useless govt of lies harassment recession hunger poverty n tyranny

Seriously i was among those who believed a supreme Court judge cant be bribed but am shaking in shock now

CJN is really a shame.. We are angry with you guys not because of the present cases nah.. But because u found judges corrupt and all u did was to retire them with full benefits... We do t trust you guys again that's the truth

He said the judiciary would on its own hand over corrupt judicial officers to the executive arm of government for prosecution, so far a prima facie case was established against such officers.

Just imagine! Why this nonsense so early in the morning?

Now, let me ask these questions:

Under the law, every citizen in this country has equal rights, so where is that idiotic line up there coming from??

Who do we wait for to hand over armed robbers to the executives for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over terrorists for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over that corrupt clerk in that ministry for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over that pipeline vandal for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over that corrupt lecturer, engineer, architect, doctor, etc, for prosecution??

What about the regular unemployed joe, who do we wait for to hand in over for prosecution when he commits a crime??

Is it against the law to directly confront a judicial officer suspected of criminal conduct in our constitution??

What part of our constitution says our law enforcement agents MUST wait for the NJC to investigate an errant judicial officer and conclude their investigation before anyone else acts on them??

Are these people trying to tell us if the NJC finds a member innocent of an allegation, then the law enforcement agents should have no business querying same??

Are Nigerian lawyers above the law??

This is just disgusting.

story for the gods

Thought they said they were all innocent at first.. and what's this bullshit about cracking down on them at night?? Are they above the law or do they have more privilege than every other Nigerian who were arrested at night for 1 alleged crime or the other?? You are all stupid sir..Your kids enjoys the funds you get from cases manipulated by you idiots and you are here trying to play on our intelligence with this your stupid story..

Phame:
I'm angry at them too.

We need to ask this corrupt man why no one has been convicted since 1999

Lol

OK

Ok

Okay

Check out Nixon v. United States https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/506/224/case.html

The US practices about the same constitutional democracy we practice albeit with slight differences. A Chief Judge was convicted for perjury and his conviction was used as a basis for misconduct. And subsequently he was removed from office. So a judge's removal from office is not the same with a conviction

Pidggin:
The executive has succeeded in demonizing all arms of government except itself.

Exactly and nigerians are foolishly backing this nonsense by the executive who are actually most corrupt

I want the CJN to tell us if Amaechi matter was truly reported to him so that i can go and break down Amaechi door

Dear guys, hold your ears and listen. Never you, I repeat NEVER YOU collect cucumber from single ladies.
Okay bye...

Pidggin:
The executive has succeeded in demonizing all arms of government except itself.

i love you for this

The Njc itself is part of the problem. It is composed of corrupt judges, who cannot be trusted to do the right thing when cases of fellow corrupt judges are brought before them.

anonimi:


It is a prelude to Buhari's 2nd term agenda as orchestrated by the cabal running affairs in the kitchen cabinet of the figure-head leader looter.
All criticism, opposition and democratic institutions of checks & balance must be silenced at all costs just as Adolf Hitler did eight decades ago.

Smh @ u

CJN is part of this problem going by his utterances.
Corrupt judges are investigated and retired when need be while other citizens are severely punished and incarcerated by the same corrupt judiciary.

Irony. Different laws for different folks.

This is a hopeless and possibly corrupt Chief Justice standing in the way of the fight against corruption.

Nigerians having cases in the courts of judges being investigated should request these judges to recuse themselves since this clueless and dumb CJ has neglected to do the right thing.

It worries me too because some nigerians who should know better are clouded by emotion that they cannot see the bigger picture and calamity that awaits our future if we allow impunity from the executive to go unchallenged.

Progressive01:
Just imagine! Why this nonsense so early in the morning?

Now, let me ask these questions:

Under the law, every citizen in this country has equal rights, so where is that idiotic line up there coming from??

Who do we wait for to hand over armed robbers to the executives for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over terrorists for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over that corrupt clerk in that ministry for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over that pipeline vandal for prosecution??

Who do we wait for to hand over that corrupt lecturer, engineer, architect, doctor, etc, for prosecution??

What about the regular unemployed joe, who do we wait for to hand in over for prosecution when he commits a crime??

Is it against the law to directly confront a judicial officer suspected of criminal conduct in our constitution??

What part of our constitution says our law enforcement agents MUST wait for the NJC to investigate an errant judicial officer and conclude their investigation before anyone else acts on them??

Are these people trying to tell us if the NJC finds a member innocent of an allegation, then the law enforcement agents should have no business querying same??

Are Nigerian lawyers above the law??

This is just disgusting.

Pls pick up a copy of the constitution, its too early to start showing your ignorance, judicial offences and misconduct runs through NJC as long as our current constitution remains valid, no security agent can prosecute a judge, all they need do is to investigate and send findings to NJC now if we dont like the idea of that lets change it simple, but as long as the law is there respect it