'The Impunity Of The DSS' - My Story, By Justice Dimgba



A judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja division, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba has said the invasion of his residence by men of the Department of State Service (DSS) was to intimidate him.



Justice Dimgba, who gave details of his ordeals in the hands of the DSS, said the security personnel subjected him to harassment and intimidation because of the rulings he had delivered against the DSS.

The judge was one of those arrested in Abuja last weekend by the DSS.

Justice Dimgba spoke in a letter to the chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Justice Mahmud Mohammed (who is also the Chief Justice of Nigeria), a copy of which The Nation sighted in Abuja.

He stated that on September 16, 2016, the DSS invited and detained the Registrar attached to his court at its office in Abuja.

The judge added that the Registrar was not only detained but her were also phones seized while operatives of the DSS “threatened her to provide them with testimonies that can implicate me in the performance of my official duties.”

Justice Dimgba, who lives next to Justice Adeniyi Ademola (also of the Federal High Court), added that the same registrar was re-invited on September 26, 2016.

The judge, who expressed disappointment with the conduct of the DSS, has sought the permission of NJC to sue the security agency for allegedly violating his rights.

”When the DSS did not succeed in their above goal of implicating me through the court registrars on Friday, 7 October 2016 by 8pm, they invaded my residence.

“When I asked, they first presented me with a search warrant for a No 19 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E and which had a John Inyang Okoro as defendant.

“When I explained that my house address was not 19 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E and that my name was certainly not John Inyang Okoro on the search warrant, the DSS team leader explained that there was a mix-up.

“He then presented me with another search warrant for 30 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E but which had A.F.A Ademola as the defendant.

“When I also explained that I was not A.F.A Ademola but that my name was Justice Dimgba, the DSS team leader stated that whatever was the case, they said the DSS were under instructions from above to search Justice Nnamdi Dimgba’s house,” he said.

The judge said he tried to resist the search on the grounds that the activities of the DSS men was not backed by search warrant and later managed to “seek refuge in the garden” in an adjacent premises.

“I endured the whole ordeal in this open garden as the neighbour was away.

“Thereafter, the DSS operatives turned on my nephew who resides with me and my driver.

“They beat them to pulp with guns and forced their way into, ransacked the entire house in the course of execution of a non-existent search warrant.

“They went away with my bag containing a number of case files which I had planned to work on for the weekend in relation to judgments adjourned, my power cable of my laptop and also my own copy of the reply dated September 4, 2016 which I had sent to the NJC to the DSS’ petition against me,” Justice Dimgba said.

He added: “I pray, my Lord, for your intervention to: (1) stop these acts of harassment and intimidation against me by theDSS; and ensure the immediate return of these seized case files and my answer to their petition to me.

“Not returning the case files make it almost impossible for me to proceed with the completion of the judgements.

“I also wish to state that I intend to commence legal proceedings in court against the DSS for the above brazen violations of my rights, unless my Lord otherwise advises.”
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  1. THIS is one of the crazy antics of change. Lawlessness has become the order of the day.

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  2. Why not just leave the issue of the DSS for the people to judge and address the very weighty allegations of misconduct and impropriety levelled against you? In my own opinion, I think how you were arrested is insignificant, prove you are innocent first then go to the courts to seek redress.

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    1. The truth is that the DSS risks tainting the good work they had done with Justice Dimgba's matter. While it appears they had good reason to go after the other Judges, it appears that in the case of Justice Dimgba, they lost all sense of reasoning and made certain presumptions not backed with any facts or leads because Justice Dimgba had the audacity to reprimand them in open court. The DSS simply presumed that because he gave an unfavourable ruling against them regarding the application for the bail of an accused person, he must have been compromised like other judges. The DSS had no search warrant for his residence and yet forced their way in "hoping" to find incriminating evidence and by their action violated his rights for nothing. My take is that while the DSS did a good job with the other judges who were raided, they let their emotions get the better of them because of the berating they got from Justice Dimgba in open court and consequently acted unreasonably and unlawfully by forcing their way into Justice Dimgba's house. The DSS has risked tainting their apparently justified actions against the other judges by their misguided actions against Justice Dimgba. We can see that the other Judges who had incriminating evidence found in their residences are now talking of vendetta and intimidation including a judge whose lawyer saw the search warrant issued for the judge's residence and okayed the search before it commenced. If there was no search warrant issued for Justice Dimgba's residence amongst all the others before the raid it would indicate that there was no compelling reason to search his house and someone in the DSS decided as an after thought and not based on credible leads to search Justice Dimgba's residence nonetheles simply on the presumption that he must be like the others simply because he ruled against them and reprimanded them in open court. Someone in the DSS simply let his ego get in the way in Justice Dimgba's case and almost threw away the baby with the bath water. Let's hope there are genuine lessons learnt here.

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  3. No, you get it wrong, it is not for people to judge! The law has a process and it must take its course! If DSS have evidence, let them produce such evidence. This process of invading Judges houses is a very dangerous precedent! We are returning to the Abacha era!

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  4. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhdhf

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  5. Nigeria system!! - people need to work together to make the country a better place for all. Stand up together and fight corruption.

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