The police, yesterday, paraded 14 persons, among them a fake Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Lawrence Ajodo, journalist, Stanley Nkwazema, bankers, lawyers, Islamic prayer warrior and herbalist, for allegedly posing as security officials and raiding the home of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court.
Police spokesperson, Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects at Force Headquarters annex, described them as impostors who were unknown to any of the nation’s security forces.
He said said seven of the suspects, including two soldiers, were still at large.
He described those arrested as document forgers who were on their own and not hired by any personnel of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The men were said to have been led by Ajodo, who admitted that he was engaged as a consultant by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
“I am not an officer of the Nigeria Police but a consultant for the AGF; he did not send us to raid Mrs Odili’s house,” he said.
However, Malami has disowned ‘CSP’ Ajodo.
A statement by his spokesman, Umar Gwandu, said with all the competent professionals at Malami’s disposal, it was only evil minds that would assume the AGF engaged “a quack or fake police officer to serve as his consultant.”
The minister called the allegation of his accuser a case of a drowning man scavenging for a dying partner.
Malami noted that investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances, personalities behind the invasion and the sponsored campaign of calumny against him. Gwandu said the probe would disclose those after the AGF, those dragging his personality, his name and his exalted office in the dirty politics of disrepute.
“This is an orchestrated attempt to stir unnecessary controversies and Public apprehension. We asked the suspect to present documents of engagements where he worked as a consultant to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, whether in past or now.
“Consultant for what? Which activity or assignment? When was he engaged? What were the terms of references for the alleged consultancy service? When was he engaged?
“Where was he engaged? Which worked has he executed for the Honourable 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.”
Also reacting, the management of THISDAY, in a statement by Bolaji Adebiyi, Managing Editor (Print and Digital), said Contrary to his claim, Mr. Nkwazema is neither a staff nor a contributing editor.
“He was a Sports Correspondent and resigned more than 15 years ago.
“However, occasionally, he, like hundreds of other readers of the newspaper, sends for publication articles and analyses and is usually obliged, a privilege THISDAY gives to some of its ex-staff. That does not in any way make him a staff and contributing Editor of THISDAY.
“Since his resignation, THISDAY had at no time contracted Mr. Nkwazema to investigate any story, and we know nothing of his alleged investigation of a story leading to the raid of the residence of Hon. Justice Odili.”