Security agents monitor election tribunal judges’ accounts

Security agents have placed bank accounts of judges handling various election petition cases across the country under watch, The PUNCH has learnt.

Besides the judges, it was also gathered that all their family members and their friends have also been placed under surveillance in order to make sure that they are not compromised in any form by politicians whose cases are currently being handled by the judges.

A senior security official, who disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday evening, added that the need to watch over the accounts and movements of the judges was to forestall allegation of bribery and corruption in the discharge of their duties.

Already, he said that all the private and official accounts of the judges had been placed under “red alert,” following the allegations that some highly placed politicians were already moving cash round with the aim of buying the judges over.

The security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the recent ban on lodgement of dollars by individuals was also part of the aims of check-mating the politicians, who, he said, were moving foreign currencies around with the aim of inducing the judges.

He said a particularly governor was actually being “seriously watched because of security reports around him which showed that he had been moving about with lots of cash in foreign currencies.”

He said, “Well, we have it on good authority that some politicians were planning to induce the judges with money in order for them to either get favourable judgments or frustrate the dispense of justice.

“We are aware that our judges are of sound character, but we are also not unmindful of the fact that there could be some bad eggs among them.

“Therefore, we have placed the judges under serious security watch and have also placed their bank accounts under surveillance.

“We are doing this in order to help the system and also help the National Judicial Council to sanitise the system. This present government has zero tolerance for corruption in whatever level.”

He said, while the NJC could be saddled with the responsibility of sacking any judge found wanting in the judicial system, he nevertheless added that the security agencies would provide details of alleged transactions in order to prosecute any erring judge.

“The idea of just dismissing any erring judge on the basis of corruption is over. Apart from dismissing you, if found wanting, we will also prosecute you to serve as a deterrent to others,” the security agent added

He also said politicians and lawyers found to be involved in any attempt aimed at bribing any judge would equally be prosecuted.

Efforts made to get the reaction of the NJC on this failed on Tuesday, as calls made to the telephone number of its Acting Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, did not go through.

Oye was said to have travelled outside the country.

However, the Chairman, of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, told one of our correspondents that judges who live above their means of livelihood should be dismissed from service.

Adeniran said apart from being sacked from work, such judges should also be made to forfeit identified properties to the Federal Government.

He said this were the only way that could steer other judges from engaging in corrupt acts.

Adeniran said, “President Muhammadu Buhari should also make sure that all judges, either serving in election petition tribunal cases or not, are thoroughly monitored.

“Apart from monitoring their bank accounts, they should be made to account for the properties they acquire and the activities of those around them.

“Those found wanting should be dealt with according to the law of the land and must, as a matter of fact, be prosecuted and jailed.”

Adeniran added that judges should also not be promoted while entertaining a serious case, adding that such action had led to delay of Justice in the past.

He called on judges to stop entertaining what he described as “frivolous adjournment of cases,” as being demanded by either prosecuting or defence lawyers.