Justice Odili
OpenLife Nigeria reports that following the controversies arising from the invasion of the No 9, Imo Street, Maitama home of Justice of the Supreme Court, Mary Odili on Friday, by security operatives who claimed their action was based on a valid court order, Barrister Stanley Chukwu has exposed, what seems lies, by the federal government on the attorney general’s involvement in the siege.
Justice Odili is currently the second most senior jurist of the apex court, after the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad.
Armed with a search warrant, the security agents had invaded Mary Odili’s home and argued that their action was in line with due process.
But when the action attracted wide condemnations, the Abuja Chief Magistrate Court which had issued the search warrant cried out and accused the Federal Government of misleading it to issue a search warrant against a serving Justice.
Few hours after, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna, who granted the order for Justice Odili’s Abuja home to be searched, revoked it on the ground that the court was deceived by the Joint Panel Recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice through misrepresentation of facts by two affidavits that were deposed to by a self-acclaimed whistleblower, Aliyu Umar and a senior Police Officer, CSP Lawrence Ajodo.
The revocation order came at a point the CJN, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, who was said to have been perturbed by the development, ordered the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to query the Magistrate.
“The CJN was very upset when he heard that the home of Justice Odili was besieged by security agencies.
“His anger further heightened when he learned that action of the security agencies was based on order from a Magistrate Court in Abuja,” OpenLife reliably gathered.
In the midst of the stand-off that lasted about five hours, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said it had no hand in the matter and advised members of the public to disregard any news to the contrary.
It said: “The attention the EFCC has been drawn to claims in a section of the media that operatives of the commission stormed the Maitama, Abuja home of a Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Odili, purportedly to execute a search.
“The commission, by this statement, wishes to inform the public that the report is false as it did not carry out any operation at the home of Justice Odili.
“If there was any such operation as claimed by the media, it was not carried out by the EFCC.
In like manner, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN on Saturday denied his involvement in the raid by security operatives on the house of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Peter-Odili, on Friday evening.
Malami in a statement by his media aide, Dr Umar Gwandu, said he “was not in any way connected with the fabrications and concocted lies linking him to the ensued imbroglio relating to news stories about the residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court; Justice Mary Odili.”
But on Sunday, Barrister Stanley Chukwu emphasized that the Minister of Justice might be economical with the truth on his level of involvement in the globally acclaimed shame.
In a write-up on his facebook obtained by OpenLife, Chukwu stated that there are glaring pieces of evidence that Minister Malami was in the know of Justice Odili’s harassment.
He said:
This is CSP Ajodo FL the officer who led another team of security agents and laid siege at the house of the Second Most Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili. These ‘siege raiders’ said they are of and from the Joint Panel Asset Recovery, Ministry of Justice.
The Hon. Attorney General has since denied having such department under his ministry and having anything to do with it. But the question is, Is the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, HAGF Abubakar Malami SAN, totally unaware of the existence of this body or panel?
A close look at the Identity Card of CSP Ajodo (herein attached) discloses something that says this panel operates with the knowledge and approval of the Abubakar Malami SAN. The back of the identity card shows that it was signed by the HAGF Abubakar Malami, SAN, whose WhatsApp phone number ………..is clearly stated on it
If truly he is not aware of these siege raiders, then heads must roll. It is serious for a police officer to prepare this kind of identity card and have it purportedly signed by Hon HAGF with the phone number of the HAGF conspicuously displayed on it and purports to use it to engage in an unlawful invasion of the house of no less a person than the Hon Justice of the Supreme Court. Heads must roll.
However, attempts by OpenLife to reach the Honourable Minister by 11.41 am Sunday were unsuccessful as a call to his line was not picked. Subsequent SMS to his number available to OpenLife was also not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
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