In Ordering Investigation, FG Denies Involvement in Raid on Justice Odili’s Residence

•Atiku, NBA, SANs, PANDEF, others seek prosecution of invaders

Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), yesterday exonerated his ministry from the invasion of the residence of a Supreme Court judge, Justice Mary Odili in Abuja, and ordered a full investigation into the matter.

Over 50 officers suspected operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and members of the Joint Panel Recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice, had in Friday evening, invaded the house of the senior justice located at Imo River Street, Maitama.

The security officials claimed they were executing a court warrant to search the house.

The warrant was procured from the Federal Capital Territory Chief Magistrate Court by one CSP Lawrence Ajodo, who claimed to be attached to the Joint Panel Recovery of the Ministry of Justice.

But Chief Magistrate Emmanuel A. Iyanna had late Friday revoked the order of the court for the search of Odili’s residence, saying the order was based “upon misrepresentation” of facts.

Shortly after the invasion was made public, the anti-graft agency through its spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, denied the involvement of its operatives in the raid.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) yesterday condemned in strong terms the invasion and called for the investigation and subsequent prosecution of alleged perpetrators.

The NBA president Mr. Olumide Akpata specifically described the invasion of Justice Odili’s residence as an “affront” on the judiciary.

But 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”.

He said the clarification to debunk the mischievous publication became imperative given the media hype and the dimension the story is taking.

“It is important to set the record straight that as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, Malami will not stoop too low to be associated with an apparent in-elegant and nasty court process on the strength of which the purported search warrant was procured”, the statement read in part.

According to Malami, the media reports on the issue depict a too untidy process that could never emanate from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

“The general public needs to know that there was nothing called Joint Panel Recovery under the Ministry of Justice in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and by extension the entire Federal Ministry of Justice.

“What we have is Assets Recovery and Management Unit, the mandate of which does not include stings operations,” he said.

The minister maintained that numerous incongruities in the documents being circulated about the saga revealed traces of criminal actions with particular regards to: “The name as contained on the purported letter headed paper “Ghost’s Account For Local Whistle Blowers & Assets Tax Recovery Panel, the ambiguous reference to Ministry of Justice without clarifying as to whether it is Federal or State Ministry and of which state, the claimed office address which as revealed by the letter headed paper is not the address of the Federal Ministry of Justice and the email address used on the letter.”

According to the minister, all these deductions would have assisted a discerning mind to arrive at a reasonable conclusion of criminal undertones associated with the court process based on which the purported search warrant was procured.

The statement added that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had since reached out to the relevant authorities for an intensified wider investigation on the matter for necessary actions leading to the prosecution of anyone involved in the matter because the only names on record from the process filed in court are a purported police officer who claimed to be “O/C Assets Recovery Team” and one Aliyu Umar, a deponent in the affidavit.

“The claim of the Chief Magistrate as reported by a section of the media to the effect that he was being misled by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice into the issuance of the search warrant is equally forwarded to the relevant investigative agencies to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the purported association of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and which officer if any in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is associated with such claimed misrepresentation”, he said.

The Chief Magistrate, Iyanna, had on Friday night revoked the search warrant, claiming he was misled by the government.

Iyanna had issued the search warrant on October 29, 2021, to the Joint Panel Recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice to enable the panel to search Justice Peter-Odili’s home.

One Lawrence Ajodo, a Chief Superintendent of Police, who was said to be a member of the panel had asked the court for the warrant to investigate alleged illegal activities reported to be taking place in the house by one whistleblower, Aliyu Umar.

The spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Wilson Uwujaren had on Friday distanced the agency from the invasion and advised members of the public to disregard any news to the contrary.

However, reacting to the situation via a statement yesterday, Akpata said the association will hold a meeting with heads of “relevant” security agencies to get more information on the issue.

He said the fact that the EFCC and Malami have denied their involvement in the operation, “suggests the inference that the residence of the second most senior judicial officer in Nigeria was raided by rogue security agencies”.

The association called on the federal government to ensure that all those responsible for this unfortunate incident are brought to book.

Atiku, Secondus, Kalu Condemn Invasion

Meanwhile, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),

Prince Uche Secondus and Chief Whip of the Senate, Chief Orji Kalu, have condemned the raid on Justice Odili’s residence.

A press statement issued by his media office quoted Atiku as saying that a continuation of the notorious behaviour of security operatives conducting a raid on residences of senior judicial officers negates the ideals of a democratic society and is an affront to the independence of the judiciary.

The statement called for an apology to Justice Mary Odili.

He also demanded a probe of the circumstances that led to the raid and sanction of those involved.

On his part, Secondus described the raid as a huge embarrassment and an insult to the judiciary.

He added that said nothing can explain the embarrassing act of the security operatives on a woman who has put in much in the service of her fatherland.

In a statement by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, Secondus called on the relevant authorities to come clean on what informed such ignoble and dishonourable behaviour and render an unreserved apology to the judge and the judiciary.

Secondus frowned at the frequent harassment of the judiciary by the current administration, pointing out that it does not say good on the country’s democratic credentials and the respect for the doctrine of separation of power.

Similarly, Kalu described the invasion of the Abuja home of Justice Odili as a cruel, undemocratic, and uncivilised act.

Condemning the raid on justice’s home, he called on the federal government to commence a full-scale investigation into the ugly incident, adding that the unwarranted invasion of the house of the judge was capable of causing tension in the country.

Kalu, who is a former governor of Abia State, stressed that in a democratic setup, the rule of law must be strictly adhered to for the sake of national progress and development.

While condemning the sad incident, he urged appropriate government agencies to discharge their duties and responsibilities in tandem with the constitution, noting that violation of human rights will set the country backward.

Equally adding its voice to the condemnation, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Hon Ken Robinson, said the raid, was not only crude and primitive but barbaric and dictatorial.

PANDEF submitted that the raid was another attempt by agents of the Buhari administration to further intimidate and humiliate the nation’s judiciary.

It said: “And this one of such actions too many, against persons of Southern Extraction, particularly, persons from the South-South geopolitical Zone.

“PANDEF DEF recalls that it was in the same nefarious manner that the Abuja residence of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, was invaded in January 2019, which was considered by many as part of political machinations, leading to the 2019 General Elections. Justice Walter Onnoghen was later suspended, made to face a “kangaroo” trial over trumped-up charges, and was forced to retire.

“Earlier, in 2016, the DSS or SSS, in a Gestapo manner, raided the homes of John Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta, who is now deceased, alongside the residences of Adeniyi Ademola, and Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Abuja”.

PANDEF, therefore, called on all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians to rise in unison and condemn these atrocious actions against citizens by the federal government and its agents.

It also called on the International Community, especially the United Kingdom and the United States, not to remain indifferent to the oppressive actions of the Nigerian government against its citizens.

SANs Seek Prosecution of Invaders

On their part, some of the senior lawyers under the aegis of Concerned Senior Advocates of Nigeria of South-eastern Extraction, in a statement, described the raid as “another frontal attack on the independence and integrity of the judiciary”.

The concerned SANs expressed worries that the action was part of a series of events aimed at systematically intimidating and emasculating the judiciary.

The position of the concerned SANs was made known in a statement signed by Professor Ilochi Okafor (SAN); Mr. Etigwe Uwa (SAN) and Mr. Chijioke Okoli (SAN).

While recalling similar raids by security operatives on the premises of some Justices of the Supreme Court in 2016, and residence of some Judges of the Federal High Court, in Abuja, they lamented that despite these security agencies publicly stating the raids were on mistaken identity of the premises, no one has been arrested and prosecuted for such brash criminal attack on the judiciary.

“We re-emphasise that it amounts to an executive infraction on the judicial independence to continue to harass, intimidate and humiliate judges. We want to further reiterate in clear terms that given the constitutionally guaranteed doctrine of the independence of the judiciary, no security agency or prosecuting authority in Nigeria has the power to investigate, arrest, or prosecute a sitting judicial officer without first referring the matter to the National Judicial Council, and await the directive of the council.

“We call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to immediately direct investigation of all security agents and other persons who played any role in this assault on the judiciary and any persons found culpable should be made to face the full wrath of the law”, they said.

On his part, senior lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said the invasion could be politically-motivated to embarrass her.

Ozekhome, who visited Odili’s house after the incident, said the raid could make Nigeria a laughing stock in the international community.

“She didn’t resist any search. I believe that they would have found that they were committing terrible hara-kiri, that is, giving them the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

“The other theory which is also as powerful is that it was politically-motivated, deliberately contrived as artifice and designed to embarrass this cerebral justice of the Supreme Court and to embarrass her husband.

“But whatever theory, one thing is clear to me, we are gradually moving towards the precipice of calling ourselves a banana republic,” Ozekhome said.