….Condemns Action

By Henry Umoru

MOVED by penultimate week raid of the residence of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili by security operatives, the Senate has asked the Inspector- General of Police, IGP, Usman Baba to make public the report of its investigation into the matter.

The Senate has also condemned in very strong terms, the attack where over 50 security operatives, comprising personnel of the Nigeria Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had on Friday 29, 2021 allegedly invaded Odili’s house situated at 7 Imo River Street, Maitama, Abuja.

The upper chamber also commended the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed for making arrests and constituting a panel to investigate the raid on her residence. 

Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to  point of order raised by Senator Betty Apiafi, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Rivers West.

Apiafi who came  under order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, moved a motion on the “Urgent Need to Investigate the Invasion of Justice Mrs. Odili’s Residence by Security Agents.”

READ ALSO: S-East/S-South Professionals condemn invasion of Justice Mary Odili’s house

In her presentation, Senator Apiafi who noted that on October 29, 2021, security operatives invaded the home of the Supreme Court Judge, said  that Justice Mary Odili is a second most senior judicial officer in Nigeria.

She recalled that a joint panel recovery unit of the Ministry of Justice, comprising of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigerian Police and the Ministry of Justice, purportedly sought for a search warrant from an FCT Magistrate after a so called whistleblower claimed to have observed illegal activities allegedly going on in a house at Imo street, Maitama.

Apiafi said,  “the Senate is worried that this incident, brings back to mind the similar invasion of homes of some senior Judicial Officers, including Chief Judges of the Supreme Court, and Judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja and other parts of the country in October 2016, which was widely condemned.

“Further worried that the home of such a highly revered judicial officer could be raised in such a manner by security agents.

“The Senate is disturbed that eleven days after the incident, though the Inspector General of Police claims some arrests have been made and investigations are still ongoing, even though the details of such arrest have not been made public.”