Senate to probe DSS raid, invite arrested judges for further investigation

The Senate has decided to probe the raid on the houses of some judges and their arrests by the Department of State Services.

The decision comes six days after the House of Representatives decided to probe the incident.

Senate President, Saraki and Deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu

The House had on Thursday last week summoned the Director General of the DSS to the chamber to explain why the secret service invaded their homes and arrested them.

The Senate, which had earlier condemned the action, on Wednesday decided to invite the affected judges for further investigation into the matter.

The judges are Justice John Okoro and Justice Sylvester Nguta of the Supreme Court; Justice Namdi Dimgba and Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja; Kabiru Auta, FHC, Kano; Muazu Pindiga, FHC, Gombe; and a former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Innocent Umezulike.

The judges are to appear before the Senate Committee on Judiciary,
Human Rights and Legal Matters to provide answers to certain questions from the Senate.

Operatives of the DSS had invaded the homes of the judges between the late hours of October 7 and early hours of October 8, 2016, and arrested them for alleged corruption.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator David Umaru, made the probe known during the plenary on Wednesday.

He said the panel would work on the report by the National
Judicial Council on the issue.