The Presidency has expressed support for the weekend raid of the residences of some Judges, calling it  an attack on corruption and not on the judiciary.

In a statement by Garba Shehu,  President Muhammadu Buhari said the operations carried out by the Department of State Services, DSS, was an attack on corruption, not judiciary, as he has the highest regard for the third arm of government.

“The Presidency assures that the President reserves his highest respect for the institution of the judiciary as the third arm of government,” Shehu stated.

“To this end, the President will not do anything to undermine its independence.

“The recent surgical operation against some judicial officers is specifically targeted at corruption and not at the judiciary as an institution.”

The presidential spokesman stated that President Buhari “remains a committed democrat, in words and in his actions, and will not take any action in violation of the constitution.”

He however frowned at “section of the media” whose reports portray the DSS operation “as a confrontation between the executive and judicial arms of government.”

Shehu pointed out that “all due processes of the law, including the possession of search and arrest warrants were obtained before the searches” were conducted on the judges’ residences.

“To suggest that the government is acting outside the law in a dictatorial manner is to breach the interest of the state,” he concluded.