BEVERLY HILLS, October 9, (THEWILL) – The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, has revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) followed due process before embarking on the raid of the judges’ houses.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account, @GarShehu, he also warned the media to be careful of how they report the issue insisting that it is wrong to present the incident as a confrontation between the Executive and Judicial arms of government.
“Reports by a section of the media are giving us cause for concern,” he tweeted.
“In undertaking the task of reporting, the media should be careful about the fault lines they open.
“It is wrong to present this incident as a confrontation between the executive and judicial arms of government.
“The Presidency assures that the President reserves his highest respect for the institution of the judiciary as the 3rd arm of government.
“President Buhari remains a committed democrat, in words and in his action, and will not take any action in violation of the constitution.
“In a robust democracy such as ours, there is bound to be a plurality of opinions on any given issue, but there is a convergence of views that the country has a corruption problem that needs to be corrected.
“The Presidency has received assurances from the DSS that all due processes of the law, including the possession of search and arrest warrants were obtained before the searches.
“To suggest that the government is acting outside the law in a dictatorial manner is to breach the interest of the state.”
THEWILL recalls that the DSS raided the houses of some Court judges at Abuja, Gombe, Kano and Port Harcourt in the early hours of Saturday, October 8, and ended up arresting at least four judicial officers.
Story by David Oputah
