Anti-corruption protesters on Wednesday marched to the Supreme Court of Nigeria asking all judges arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) to step aside pending the outcome of their trials in court.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “Stop corruption before it stops you,” “Don’t get it twisted, Judiciary is not on trial, only corrupt officials are.”
The chairman of the National Judicial Commission is also the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
All the judges are still sitting in their courts despite public outrage.
One of them, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in whose home, millions of naira was found, vowed yesterday to continue to sit despite calls for him to step aside.
The judge, who sat over 12 cases before his court on Tuesday, advised parties before him to apply for necessary transfers if they are not comfortable continuing their matters before him.
He said that he will not quit his seat until otherwise directed.
“As far as we are concerned, we have been asked to maintain our seats, so that is the position of things,” he said.
DSS operatives stormed Ademola’s home and six other judges on 7 and 8 October, in search of incriminating documents.
Other judges affected by the sting operations were Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court; Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Abuja and Justice Mu’azu Pindiga of the High Court, Gombe.
