Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has become fidgeted over claims of ordering raid at the Abuja residence of Justice Mary Odili-Supreme Court Judge.
The residence of Mary, the wife of former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili, was raided by security agents on Friday night, October 29.
Though Malami has denied the claim, some Nigerians had accused the AGF of masterminding the raid of the Odili’s.
This is as Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna of Wuse Zone 6 magisterial division in Abuja admitted that Malami lied to him into signing a search warrant for the residence of a top Supreme Court jurist.
To defend himself, Malami in a statement by his media aide, Jibrilu Gwandu, said the AGF ‘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 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.”
Meanwhile, Chief Magistrate Iyanna of Wuse Zone 6 magisterial division in Abuja has subsequently revoked the search warrant he approved against Justice Mary Odili’s residence due to misrepresentation in the first information application supplied by an ad-hoc public asset recovery panel domiciled under the justice ministry and overseen by Mr Malami.
“Upon misrepresentation to this honourable court that led to the issuance of a search warrant in favour of Joint Panel Recovery, Ministry of Justice, against House 9, Imo Street, Maitama, Abuja, dated October 29, 2021,” the senior magistrate said in a fresh order. “In view of the above fact, the said search warrant is hereby revoked.”
Mr Iyanna’s October 29 order came hours after Peoples Gazette reported that armed operatives have tried to breach the residence of Mrs Odili on Imo Rivers Street in Maitama.
Officers had arrived at the residence bearing a warrant that was issued based on whistleblower information from Aliyu Umar, an Abuja residence.
Mr Umar had deposed on October 13 that there were illegal activities going on at 9, Imo Street, Maitama, that should warrant immediate action from the law enforcement. The whistleblower also said in court filings that the tip-off was supplied to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
This prompted Mr Iyanna to issue a warrant on October 29 for the property to be searched.
Subsequently, operatives mobilised to Mrs Odili’s house based on the warrant seeking to forcibly search it in the evening of October 29, the same day a warrant was approved.
Our sources said the Supreme Court jurist rejected the move to search her residence because she had no pending issues with anti-graft agencies.
Mrs Odili also argued that the warrant was not meant for her residence since she lives at 7, Imo River Street, Maitama, and not 9, Imo Street, Maitama, as stated in the warrant. The operatives nonetheless laid siege on the residence for hours.
Thereafter, the officers left Mrs Odili’s residence following the revocation of their warrant.
Even though the whistleblower stated in court filings that he provided his findings to the EFCC, the anti-graft office had denied playing a role in the operation.
But the development has elicited harsh criticisms of Mr Malami, whose controversial role in alleged anti-democratic moves of the administration contributed to his new status as a formidable force in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.
In 2016, Mr Malami supported the State Security Service when its brutal personnel broke into the residences of over a dozen federal judges, including three of the Supreme Court at the time.
The attorney-general also recently proposed suspension of the Nigerian Constitution and declaration of martial law in order to restore peace in volatile parts of the country.
