Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has defended a raid on some senior judges by the security agency, saying it was a “surgical operation” aimed at tackling corruption.
The Nigerian Bar Association accused the authorities of carrying out a “Gestapo-style” operation, and demanded the release of the arrested judges from the supreme, appeal and high courts.
The Department of State Service (DSS) said it had confiscated $800,000 (£645,200) in cash after raiding the homes of several judges.
Mr Buhari had received assurances from the DSS that it had followed the law, and had obtained search arrest warrants to carry out the raids, his office said in a statement.
It added:
The recent surgical operation against some judicial officers is specifically targeted at corruption and not at the judiciary as an institution.
To suggest that the government is acting outside the law in a dictatorial manner is to breach the interest of the state.”