DSS did not discover $9m in my house, says CJN

Justice Walter Onnoghen

Says allegation aim at stalling on-going judicial reforms

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has denied online reports claiming that the Department of State Security Service (DSS) allegedly found the sum of $9million in his home.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the CJN, Mr. Awassam Bassey, Onnoghen described the report as infantile lies, intended to impugn his good name and distract him from the on-going judicial reforms.

The statement further read: "The truth, which is already in the public domain, is that DSS has never raided the home of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, not recently and certainly not in the October 2016 invasion of the homes of some judicial officers in the country."

The CJN wondered why anyone would go out of his way "to fabricate stories which are obvious falsehood."

While advising online publishers to desist from allowing their platforms to be used as a medium for publication of fake news which does the country more harm than good in the eyes of the international community, the CJN assured Nigerians that the sponsors of the fake news stories and their campaign to smear his name will not distract, discourage or slow the reforms, which he has started implementing.

He furtheted assured that the Judiciary under his watch will continue to discharge its responsibility as the last hope of the common man.