By Igho Akeregha, Olusegun Olanrewaju and David Lawani
The Nigeria Police Force yesterday said it has arrested 14 suspects, including the principal suspect who claimed to be a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), for complicity in the failed criminal trespass on the Abuja residence of Justice Mary Odili on October 29.
Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, said the suspects were arrested following investigations conducted by detectives from the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB).
The suspects include Lawrence Ajodo (male, principal suspect); Michael Diete-Spiff (m); Alex Onyekuru (m); Bayero Lawal (m): Igwe Ernest (m); Aliyu Umar Ibrahim (m); and Maimuna Maishanu (f).
Others are Ayodele Akindipe (m); Yusuf Adamu (m); Bashir Musa (m); ASP Mohammed Yahaya (m); Stanley Nkwazema (m); Shehu Jibo (m); Abdullahi Adamu (m); and L/CPL Mike (m), who other name is unknown.
It was learnt that the principal suspect, Ajodo, who was confirmed to be an impostor, had reportedly confessed to the police that he was a consultant for the AGF.
Ajojo, who secured a search warrant for the residence by claiming to be a police inspector, was said to have told the police that he was not a police officer, but a consultant.
But reacting swiftly to the claims, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, denied engaging any consultant to raid the residence of Justice Odili.
A statement yesterday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, said only people with an evil mind could assume the minister would contract a consultant to carry out a raid in the home of a Justice of Supreme Court.
In his statement denying any link with suspect, Malami maintained that “only a drowning man could condescend to the level of believing that the Honourable Minister of Justice would ever contemplate such action.”
He said: “The attention of the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to a confession of a suspect during interrogation in the investigation of the recent invasion of the residence of the highly respected Justice of the Supreme Court; Justice Mary Peter Odili.
“With all the competent, high-level professionals and capable human resources available at the disposal of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, it only takes the imagination of the evil minds to assume or think that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will descend so low to engaging a quack or fake police officer to serve as his consultant.
“This is a case of a drowning man scavenging for a dying partner. We are happy to note that investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances and personalities behind the invasion and sponsored campaign of calumny against the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.”
Gwando said the whole issue was an orchestrated attempt to stir up unwanted controversy and further divide the relationship that exists between the minister and the justice.
The statement added that: “It is our desire and we hope that the investigation would also disclose those after the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; those dragging his personality, his name and his exalted office in the dirty politics of disrepute. This is an orchestrated attempt to stir unnecessary controversy and public apprehension.
“We ask that the suspect present documents of engagements; where he worked as a consultant to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; whether in the past or now.
“Consultant for what? Which activity or assignment? When was he engaged? What were the terms of reference for the alleged consultancy service? When was he engaged? Where was he engaged? Which work has he executed for the Attorney General of the Federation and the Ministry of Justice? For what duration? And for how much?
“We boldly and unequivocally challenge the fake consultant/police officer to come out with answers or responses to these questions to the general public.
“The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice superintends over and respects the rule of law and will not do anything to undermine the sanctity of his office and that of the entire judiciary and Justice sector.”
However, parading the suspects in Abuja yesterday, Mba said, “Recall that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, on November 1, 2021, affirmed that the Force did not authorise security operatives to carry out any assignment in or around the residence of Justice Mary Odili and directed the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to carry out a discrete investigation to bring the perpetrators to book.
“The facts of the case from police investigations have it that one Aliyu Umar Ibrahim, an acclaimed whistle-blower, following a piece of baseless and unverified information he got from one Yusuf Adamu- parading himself as the godson of Chief Peter Odili- that there is a huge sum of money in foreign currencies starched in the residence of Her Lordship, Justice Mary Odili, located at No. 7, Imo River Street, Maitama, initiated processes aimed at illegally recovering the said money.
“Consequently, the syndicate contracted one Bashir Musa, a clerical staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who in turn sought the assistance of two (2) others – Shehu Jibo and Abdullahi Adamu.
“The whistle-blower was later introduced to one Bayero Lawal who falsely presented himself as a Director in EFCC. He took the whistle-blower to one Hajiya Maimuna Maishanu who in turn took them to her cousin, Michael Diete-Spiff, who claimed to be the Director of Foreign Currency Operation of Ghost’s Account for Local Whistle Blowers & Assets Recovery Panel, purportedly operating under the Federal Ministry of Justice – an agency that does not exist. Diete-Spiff later introduced the whistleblower to one Lawrence Ajodo with the aid of one Godwin (currently at large).
“From this moment, Lawrence Ajodo– who falsely claimed to be a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and also the officer-in-charge of a non-existing Asset Recovery Panel at the Federal Ministry of Justice took over the planning and execution of the illicit operation.
“Through the assistance of one Ayodele Akindipe, an herbalist, the fake CSP procured the services of an Assistant Superintendent of Police and two soldiers for the failed operation. The fake CSP also elicited the services of a journalist, one Stanley Nkwazema, and two lawyers namely Alex Onyekuru and Igwe Ernest.
“While the journalist was expected to play the blackmail role, the lawyers were expected to help the syndicate in perfecting court documents and processes. The fake CSP later deposed to an affidavit and eventually obtained a search warrant meant for the execution of the raid.”
He said three vehicles used by the suspects for the illegal invasion and a laptop computer, printer, and flash drive used for the production of the fake ID cards were recovered from the suspects by the Police investigators.
Mba said an investigation was being intensified to arrest the other seven suspects, including two persons believed to be personnel of the Nigeria Army, who were physically present during the raid, and fully dressed in Army uniform.
*Wike: Invasion is APC’s plot at intimidating judiciary ahead of 2023
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has described the invasion of the residence of justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Mary Odili, as a precursor to the Federal Government’s ‘infamous tactic’ of browbeating the judiciary to a state of fear and conformity, as the country enters next political season.
According to the governor, the Federal Government only wants “to continue to ride roughshod unchecked over the rule of law and the sanctity of the country’s electoral system, hence, the renewed attack on judicial officers.”
The Rivers State governor made this assertion at a special court session to mark the opening of the 2021/2022 Legal Year of the Rivers State judiciary held at the Chief Judge’s ceremonial court in Port Harcourt yesterday.
Wike said, “Although it is still early morning in our democratic match towards 2023, the attack on Justice Mary Odili is a prelude to many more and even worse political manoeuvrings we should be prepared to experience from the APC-led Federal Government, which has lost relevance and popular support, is becoming more and more desperate over its dwindling political fortunes by the day.
“While cases with political undertones, including the constitutional validity of certain sections of the recent amendments to the 2010 Electoral Act, if assented to by Mr President, would necessarily come before our courts; what is important is the duty and capacity of our judiciary to save our democracy and the country.”
The governor said it is the responsibility of government at all levels to protect the judiciary and accord the courts such assistance as they may require enabling them to safeguard their independence, as well as advance the rule of law and equally and fairly dispense justice to all citizens.
He said, “Unfortunately, while the present Federal Government has been very weak in resourcing and strengthening the judiciary; it has been very strong and readily predisposed to ridiculing the entire institution and subjecting individual judges to both physical and psychological trauma for its self-interest.”
“We all witnessed the infamous midnight raids on judicial residences and the subjection of some judges to illegal raids, arrests, and detentions by agents of the Federal Government purportedly carrying out a baseless sting operation back in 2016.
“Since then, the intimidation of judges, whose judgments, intellectual or moral disposition they are not comfortable with, has continued unrelenting with the latest attack on a peaceful mother, wife of a former governor, and Justice of the Supreme Court, our own highly revered, Justice Mary Odili.
“It is important to emphasise that we allow these intimidations to become acceptable standards of behaviour, and even become complicit in their unholy design to undermine the administration of justice when we all opt to keep quiet in the face of these assaults.”
Wike commended the leaders of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Body of Senior Advocates, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), and members of the public, for promptly condemning the idiotic siege on the judiciary.
He said they must quickly move beyond the verbal protestations to unveil those behind the raid on Justice Odili’s residence and ensure that they all are held accountable for their actions, “otherwise this impunity would never cease to rear its ugly head in the country”.
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The governor also challenged the Federal Government to come clean on this infamy with the names, identities, and affiliations of those allegedly arrested for their roles or found to have been involved in the attack on the residence of Justice Odili, “if it is not to be perceived as the primary mastermind.”
