The burden of justification for the arrest of the Justices and Judges, rest with, the Directorate of State Security. Silence and lying are both forms of concealment. The right to remain silent is not a right to lie, because speech is not silence. The DSS spokesman, Mr. Abdullahi Garba in a press briefing said; the DSS action is in line with its core mandate and that the service operations were conducted after credible intelligence. The DSS called its operation a sting operation. The DSS is in the tribunal of reason. But, was there any substantive wrongness of obedience in the DSS action? Was the National Judicial Council obstructive of the DSS investigation? The Judiciary can not cleanse itself. Arresting few judges can not be an attack on the judiciary. Judges are not immune from arrest.

It is appropriate for courts to intervene to correct a democratic failure. But, when victory-hungry lawyers connive with clients to bribe morally bankrupt judges, democracy will be threatened. Corrupting the temple of justice is not a Lawyerly function. Lawyers at odds with justice are against the Law. The problem with Lawyers is that; their skills are the instrument by which justice is defeated or prevails. The NBA should be informed that: the Judiciary can not investigate itself. It lacks investigation skills and techniques. Lawyers and their trade idioms carry’s no ideological freight. Rogue justices and judges are threats to society. Justice for sale is a recipe for anarchy. The NJC and the NBA must be careful about the fault lines they open concerning the DSS action.

Law enforcement is a service profession and the members of the community are clients. Due process must be followed ethically in the performance of law enforcement duties. It is the law enforcement code of ethics that officers are expected to perform their duties; without fear or affection or ill-will and without regards to status. The DSS can act independently within areas of its core mandate. The presidency is not expected to micro-manage the DSS. The presidency is a stratarchy. It has a series of layers of organization or strata superimposed with a neat pyramid of authority.

So, the screaming banner headline in Sunday Punch Newspaper of 9/10/2016 with the title; “BUHARI’s DSS HAD GONE MAD” is catchy and very suggestive of the Newspaper’s line of thinking on the DSS arrest of the judges. Journalism is to inform and advertisement is to persuade. The Punch Newspaper had used its journalistic license. The DSS action was reported by some Newspapers and advertised by others. There were subjective and objective journalistic practices on the issue. The News was slanted. Some reported the arrest of the judges and failed to report the money found on them. The huge cash found on the justices and judges suggests that; the judges were home banking. And, the motives could be rather ulterior.

Our practice of politics, over simplify and over dramatize news making. Every event or news needs some interpretation to put the facts in contexts. The media strongest role is agenda setting, giving visibility or importance to a problem or personality. The DSS story has the interplay of backgrounders and foregrounders. Reporters sift and shape the material before it is passed to the next audience, their editors and producers. It is like the game of gossip-chain. A news report passes through many hands before we encounter it in a newspaper and newscast. Opinion leaders should be alert to media account of events. The two step flow of information is a crucial link in spreading political information. News loses its value when it passes from one person to another.

Finally, to be reported, reality must assume an easily recognizable form. Subtle events are harder to report. They demand more space and time. And, they require painstaking and thoughtful analysis. Such are left to historians and social analysts. The DSS arrest of the judges falls under this category of News reporting. The DSS action on the judges had created a marriage of political events and media theatre. The reaction occasioned by the event suggests perceptual differences. The News becomes confusing. Some media houses reacted to the news rather than report it.

Research revealed that: nine (9) judges were arrested in Philadelphia and thirty-three (33) judges were arrested in Ghana out of which twenty-two (22) were dismissed. The anti corruption crusade must be total and inclusive of all segments of society. The judiciary can not be an immune territory. Corrupt judges must be dealt with, so that the judiciary can be sanitized. The law enforcement officers must perform their duties with due diligence; so that their actions can stand the test of legal scrutiny.

Nigeria Bribery Association (NBA) is full of Senior Advocate of Nonsense (SAN)