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Tag: Justice Odili

  • Raid: Their plan was to assassinate entire Odili family – Wike

    Raid: Their plan was to assassinate entire Odili family – Wike

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government to probe the invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili.

    TheNewGuru.com, TNG reports that security agents had on Friday raided the home of the Supreme Court, but Wike asked the current administration to bring to book those behind the invasion.

    “We are taking steps as a government and people of the state to see that this matter is concluded and find out who are those who are the perpetrators,” he said on Sunday during a press briefing in Abuja.

    “We think that there is an attempt to assassinate Justice Mary Odili, the husband and members of the family, there are no two ways about it. If they had succeeded, all the Federal Government would have told us (is that) we will get to the bottom of the matter because that has always been the normal language.

    “The issue here has nothing to do with the Attorney General, we are happy he said he is not aware. We said, okay since you are not aware, we are giving you 48 hours to tell us who is responsible.”

    According to Wike, 48 hours is enough for any government to unravel those behind the invasion of the judge’s residence.

    “We are telling the world if anything happens to the family of Dr Peter Odili, the Federal Government should be held accountable because they have shown that there is something they are about carrying out,” he added.

    “If anything happens to my Lord, Justice Mary Odili, the husband and the children, the Federal Government should be held responsible.

    “That is the position of the Rivers State government and Rivers people because enough is enough!”

    While noting that it is not enough for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to claim ignorance, the governor questioned the group that secured a court order for the search warrant.

  • Odili: Raid on second most senior Supreme Court Justice’s residence is ‘executive infraction’ targeted against judiciary – SANs

    Odili: Raid on second most senior Supreme Court Justice’s residence is ‘executive infraction’ targeted against judiciary – SANs

    Some senior lawyers from the South East region have condemned the raid on a justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Odili, by some security operatives.

    In a statement on Saturday, the legal practitioners described the attack, said to have been carried out on Friday, as an attempt to intimidate the judiciary.

    “Concerned Senior Advocates of Nigeria of South-eastern Extraction condemn in strong terms the unlawful raid on October 29, 2021, of the residence of Hon Justice Mary Peter Odili, the second most senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” they said in the communique signed by three of the senior advocates, Professor Ilochi Okafor, Mr Etigwe Uwa, and Mr Chijioke Okoli.

    ”The raid said to have been orchestrated by some security agencies, is yet another frontal attack on the independence and integrity of the Judiciary. We are worried that this event is part of a series of events aimed at systematically intimidating and emasculating the Judiciary.

    “We recall similar raids by the EFCC, the DSS and other security operatives on the premises of Justices of the Supreme Court in 2016, and residence of some Judges of the Federal High Court, in Abuja. 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.”

    The senior advocates stated that one of such raids took place in a courtroom at the Federal High Court while a judge was sitting.

    According to them, consistent attacks on the judiciary are clearly in breach of the constitutional protection of judges and the judiciary.

    “In particular, Section 158 and Paragraph 21 Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 clearly empower the National Judicial Council with the responsibility to handle all complaints and matters relating to judicial officers.

    “This position of the law has been confirmed in the case of NGANJIWA V FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA (2018) 4 NWLR (Pt. 1609) 301 where the Court of Appeal stated that ‘If any judicial officer commits professional misconduct within the scope of his duty and is investigated, arrested and subsequently prosecuted by security agents, without a formal complaint/report to the NJC, it will be a usurpation of the latter’s constitutionally guaranteed powers under Section 158 and Paragraph 21 Part 1 of the Third Schedule, thereby inhibiting the NJC from carrying out its disciplinary control over erring judicial officers as clearly provided by the Constitution. … it is only when the NJC has given a verdict and handed over such judicial officer (removing his toga of judicial powers) to the prosecuting authority that he may be investigated and prosecuted by the appropriate security agencies’; we re-emphasis that it amounts to an executive infraction on the judicial independence to continue to harass, intimidate and humiliate judges.”

    In view of the doctrine of the independence of the judiciary, the senior lawyers stressed that no security agency or prosecuting authority has the power to investigate, arrest, or prosecute a sitting judicial officer without first referring the matter to the NJC, and await the directive of the Council.

    They, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct investigation of all security agents and others who played any role in the raid and ensure those found culpable were made to face the full wrath of the law.

  • Like EFCC, DSS, Buhari’s minister distances self from raid on Justice Odili’s home

    Like EFCC, DSS, Buhari’s minister distances self from raid on Justice Odili’s home

    Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has explained that he was not involved in the raid on the Abuja residence of a Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Odili.

    Security operatives earlier on Friday stormed the residence of Justice Odili claiming that they received information on “illegal activities” in the house.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier denied involvement in the raid on the justice’s home.

    In a similar vein, the minister in a statement on Saturday said as the Attorney General of the Federation he will not be associated with “an apparent in-elegant and nasty court process” of which the search warrant, presented by the security operatives, was procured.

    He also picked faults in the details of the search warrant noting that the reference to “Ministry of Justice” was ambiguous and without clarifying as to whether it is Federal or State Ministry and of which State.

    The search warrant documents presented by the security operatives and made available to journalists read that it was granted to the Joint Panel Recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice

    Malami, in the statement, however, clarified that there is 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.

    According to him, what the Ministry has is “Assets Recovery and Management Unit” and its mandate does not include stings operations.

    He stressed that there are “numerous incongruities” in the documents thereby revealing traces of criminal actions.

    SEE MALAMI’S FULL STATEMENT BELOW…

     

    Justice Odili: I was not involved, Count me Out, says Malami

    Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN 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.

    This is made known in a statement by Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and made available to newsmen on Saturday the 30th day of October, 2021.

    He said the clarification to debunk the mischievous publication became imperative in view of 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 media reports on the issue depict too untidy process that could never emanate from the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

    The general public need 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.

    Numerous incongruities in the documents being circulated in relation to the saga reveal traces of criminal actions which particular regards to:

    1. The name as contained on the purported letter headed paper “Ghost’s Account For Local Whistle Blowers & Assets Tax Recovery Panel”,
    2. The ambiguous reference to “Ministry of Justice” without clarifying as to whether it is Federal or State Ministry and of which State,
    3. The claimed office address which as revealed by the letter headed paper is not the address of the Federal Ministry of Justice
    4. Email address used on the letter

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

    The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has 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 in view of the fact that 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 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 investigation agencies to ascertain 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.

    Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu

    (Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations

    Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice)

    Saturday 30th October, 2021

  • Photos: Wike visits Justice Odili’s Abuja residence amidst reports of Police, EFCC raid

    Photos: Wike visits Justice Odili’s Abuja residence amidst reports of Police, EFCC raid

    The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike late on Friday night visited the residence of Justice Mary Odili allegedly raided by the Nigerian police.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and that of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday allegedly stormed the Abuja home of the Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mary Odili.

    According to reports, the armed policemen and EFCC officials stormed the judge’s home to execute a search warrant as part of investigations into her husband, Peter Odili, who is a former Governor of Rivers State.

    But in a swift response, the EFCC denied any involvement in the alleged raid.

     

  • Police, EFCC officials storm Supreme Court judge, Justice Odili’s residence in Abuja

    Police, EFCC officials storm Supreme Court judge, Justice Odili’s residence in Abuja

    Officials of the Nigeria Police Force and that of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday reportedly stormed the Abuja home of Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mary Odili.

    According to reports, the armed policemen and EFCC officials stormed the judge’s home to execute a search warrant as part of investigations into her husband, Peter Odili, who is a former Governor of Rivers State.

    As at press time, TNG could not confirm if the combined operatives were able to gain access into the Supreme Court justice’s home.

    TNG recalls that Odili, who was governor from 1999 to 2007, obtained a perpetual injunction from a Federal High Court in 2007 which barred the EFCC from investigating or prosecuting him.

    In 2020, he approached a Federal High Court again to get another injunction to stop an impending probe.

    Last month, the former governor sued the Nigeria Immigration Service for seizing his passport at the airport.

    In its response, however, the NIS said it was the EFCC that asked it to seize Odili’s passport as part of a probe.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo, however, ordered immigration to release the passport to Odili immediately.

    Meanwhile, the anti graft agency in a swift response late Friday night denied involvement in the raid on Justice Odili’s home.

    The EFCC Spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that the commission had no hand in the matter and advised members of the public to disregard any news to the contrary.

    The statement read in part, “The attention the EFCC has been drawn to claims in a section of the media that operatives of the commission today, October 29, 2021, 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. The commission enjoins the public to discountenance the report.”

  • Bayelsa judgement: Oshiomhole reacts to Wike’s accusation of sponsoring attacks against Justice Odili

    Bayelsa judgement: Oshiomhole reacts to Wike’s accusation of sponsoring attacks against Justice Odili

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the allegation that he sponsored thugs to attack the residence of former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili, was an insult and an assault on his reputation.

    Recall that the Rivers State Government had on Wednesday accused the APC chairman and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, of being responsible for the attack on the Abuja residence of the Odilis.

    According to a statement signed by the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, the attacks were carried out because Justice Mary Odili was a member of the Supreme Court panel that gave a unanimous verdict against the APC governor-elect in Bayelsa State, David Lyon.

    Describing the unsubstantiated allegation as a reckless defamation of his character, the APC National Chairman, according to a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Simon Ebegbulen, said the allegation was unbecoming of a state government that is supposed to operate under the rule of law, including fairness and justice to all.

    Oshiomhole said it is the police that should give account of what happened at the residence of Dr. Odili, based on investigation; not the Rivers State Government in Port Harcourt.

    According to the statement, the allegation is “an egregious assault on the reputation that has taken Oshiomhole a life-time to build.

    “For clarity, Oshiomhole was not in any way involved in the action that took place at the residence of Dr. Odili, a gentleman for whom Oshiomhole has tremendous respect as a friend of many years despite political differences.

    “As a matter of principle, Oshiomhole condemns any harassment Hon. Justice Mary Odili had suffered for a judgment she gave within her powers as a judicial officer.”

    The national chairman claimed that as a one-time beneficiary of judicial redress of injustice, he always holds the judiciary in the highest esteem and obeys court orders.

    The statement noted that the APC has since returned to the Supreme Court to seek a review of the judgment in accordance with the democratic culture to which the national chairman subscribes.

    Oshiomhole called on the Rivers State Government to toe the path of decency and withdraw the defamatory statement with due apologies.