• To write Buhari

From Juliana Taiwo Obalonye and Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The emergency meeting convened by the National Judicial Council (NJC) following last weekend’s raid of homes and arrests of judges across the country by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) was inconclusive, yesterday.
The meeting was inconclusive following failure of the body to arrive at a common decision.
Sources in the Supreme Court told Daily Sun that the meeting, which started from 10:00am and lasted till evening was deadlocked on the main agenda, which was to review the action of the DSS and take a common decision on it.
This, the source said, followed divergent views by Council members on how to approach the matter.
Consequently, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who  chairmans NJC, was forced to adjourn the meeting to today “to allowmembers more time to reason together.”
Acting NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye confirmed to Daily Sun that the meeting was “inconclusive and will continue today.”
He said apart from the arrest of the judges, the meeting deliberated on disciplinary measures to forestall future occurrences.
The arrest of judges, which started in Kano and Gombe states, last Friday, swept through the homes of some senior judges in the Federal capital Territory (FCT), Abuja where Justices, the first in the history of the country, including Justices Sylvester Ngwuta, John Okoro (both of the Supreme Court) and Justice Adeniyi Ademola, were affected.
Also arrested in the raid was Justice Muazu Pindiga, who served on the Election Tribunal in Rivers State.
Although all the judges have been released on bail, the meeting of the NJC was to take a firm position on the controversial incident.
On Monday, Mohammed condemned the incident and said “it was regrettable, sad and unfortunate.”
The CJN spoke at a valedictory session held in honour of a retired Supreme Court justice, Justice Suleiman Galadima.
On Sunday, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had, while reacting to the arrest of judges, declared a state of emergency in the Judiciary over the incident.
NBA President,  Abubakar Mahmoud, at a press briefing attended by four past presidents of the association – Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN); Mr. J.B. Daudu (SAN) and Augustine Alegeh (SAN), condemned what it described as the Gestapo-style operation of the DSS.
At the Presidential Villa, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said he would not hesitate to append his signature for the prosecution of Justice Kabiru Auta of the state High Court, if required.
He was reacting to the weekend’s crackdown on some allegedly corrupt judges by the operatives of Department of State Services (DSS).
Justice Auta was recently recommended for outright dismissal by the NJC from the bench due to a proven case of bribery and corruption.
The Council had, at its 78th meeting in September, chaired by Mohammed, recommended Auta for prosecution over an allegation that he collected N197 million from one Alhaji Kabiru Yakassai, who petitioned the NJC against him.
Auta, under the pretext that he had planed to use the money to help get accommodation for a Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who was newly appointed at the time, allegedly assured Yakassai that he would be rewarded with a contract by the CJN.
The NJC also recommended that Auta should be handed over to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 1, Kano, for prosecution.
Auta, it was learnt, agreed to refund N95 million to Yakassai,  but later admitted, during his probe by the NJC panel, that he only agreed to refund N35 million.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Ganduje said he would not only approve for Auta to be sacked, but also to be tried in a law court.
He said: “What is going on is a court case now, but, it is a welcome development. Mr. President is serious about corruption and that aspect is an aspect of conscience. So, the state government is behind him and, in fact, the state government has established an anti-corruption outfit. They are working very hard and we are complementing the effort of the federal government.
“I will approve his being tried in the court of law, not even sack. If the courts find him guilty to be jailed, that’s okay.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court resumed sitting, yesterday, after a one day solidarity break following the arrest of their colleagues by the DSS over alleged corrupt activities.
Regardless, it was gathered that the CJN, after the meeting, may formally write President Muhammadu Buhari to protest the manner of arrests of the judges in the sting operation by the DSS.
A source told Daily Sun, yesterday night that top echeclon of the Judiciarymay have been aware of the sting operation, days before it was carried out and that “they did not sanction the operation. Rather, they told the Executive that there are mechanisms within the Judiciary to deal with errant and corrupt officers.”