Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, GCON. Remember him? Of course, you dare not forget him; now or in future. You can’t risk that. Our memory is not short and poor.
Let’s make this unusual. Let us do the start-off with this 
message.
It’s direct by one Basil Okoh. He coined it, “Mary Odili Southern Jurist has the Mark.”
You would love to read it. You would not regret you came across it. I ran into it on a platform and I am glad I did.
These are excerpts from the piece. Have a pleasant and sweet bite:
“In order for Buhari’s government to make a northerner to become Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the government had to forcefully run the sitting CJN, Walter Onnoghen, a southerner, out of office through blackmail, brigandage and a wicked media campaign based on falsities.
“The people of the South-South watched helplessly and we were all titillated by the drama.
“PANDEF (Pan Niger Delta Development Forum) said and did nothing.
“Now Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, (the CJN) is (allegedly) sick. The next in line is Justice Mary Odili. Some nights ago, one of Nigeria’s security agencies was reported to have organized a raid in her home to nail her of some crime in order to disqualify her from being the next CJN.
“The desperate plot is to stop Justice Odili from succeeding Justice Mohammed and becoming the CJN. A southerner must never be allowed to be CJN or head an arm of government.
“The desperation by the North to control the Supreme Court has been on since 1983. The South does nothing, just watch as southern fine jurists are violently bundled out of office. How much shame can a people really take?
“Among the footmen who went to raid Justice Odili’s house must be southerners and particularly, officers of the Niger Delta origin. They were so glad to do the hatchet job.
“The excuse, as always, was that they were obeying orders. But international laws say that it is no longer acceptable to obey illegal orders.
“PANDEF will say and do nothing. That is the shame of us all.”
Okoh was spot on. He said it all. He was brief and apt. He refused to entertain frivolities and trivialities. His message was straight to the point. And it hit hard where it really mattered.
It was and unambiguous. Onnoghen was disgraced out of office for a northerner to take over. He was CJN between 2017 and 2019.
He is undoubtedly having the last laugh. He’s quietly enjoying his retirement in his home state, Cross River. He is watching as the same hideous situation is playing out. It is starring us in the face one more time.
The dastard act started rudely as usual last week. And it is still raging. They only slightly altered the template. The intent and purpose largely remain one and the same.
They have crude intelligence. Their target this time around is Justice Odili. That is where they missed it. They goofed. They erroneously picked her as their victim. It is for the obvious and dubious reason.
She is the prey of the moment. But they missed the point.
Our leaders and rulers are demoniacally wired. They are ruled by satanic instincts and brainwaves. Their cruelty is unrefined, unpolished and coarse.
We are the ones who feel the pinch; the unkind results of their mis-governance. We are at their whims and caprices. They have turned us into one big chessboard.
They manipulate us easily and at will. Whenever they wake up from the bad side of the bed, it is gloom for us. That day, we are in deep trouble.
Unfortunately, most times, they do jump up from the bad side of the bed. The reason we are in unending confusions, perpetual crises and chaos.
It could only happen in this our wild and weird clime. One obscure “whistle blower” would just offer to be used. He was even happy he landed the dirty job. Grimy and filthy as it was, he still went ahead to pursue it. He threw all the strengths he could muster into it.
Yes, Aliyu Umar was convinced and convicted by himself, all alone. He claimed to have observed “illegal activities” going on at No. 9, Imo
Street, Maitama, Abuja.
As a “patriotic” Nigerian, this must not be allowed to continue. It ought to be checked. And he “selflessly” assigned himself to unravel the mystery. He felt he was the only right person for the Herculean task.
Satisfied with his “raw evidence” at hand, Umar took a further step.
Somehow, he managed to swear to an October 13, 2021 affidavit: “I have observed some illegal activities going on in those houses within Abuja and hereby report the said matter to the law enforcement agency.”
He closed his highly suspicious submission this sinister manner: “I hereby state that all information provided by me to the EFCC is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.”
He was armed to the teeth with his affidavit. He wasted no more precious time. He went searching desperately for a willing court to accommodate his grievances.
Luck smiled on him. When he saw one, he ran with the speed of light.
That happened to be Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna’s court. He approached the magistrate sweating profusely.
His request was granted. He obtained a warrant for the Joint Panel Recovery Unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice. The panel is made up
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), police and the ministry. Umar heaved a huge sigh of relief.
He apparently got far more than he bargained for. The deed was signed and sealed. But it needed to be delivered very fast. That posed no obstacle.
There would always be some willing security hands waiting anxiously to explored and exploited. That is what they know how to do the best.
And they expectedly jumped at it. We were not disappointed at their despicable action. Umar asked for it. And he got it in abundant measures. Security operatives swiftly stormed the house with the search warrant.
Instantly, Umar brought down anxiety and confusion. The whereabouts of the occupants of the house became an embarrassing issue. They laid an unlawful siege on the family in Abuja.
First major setback! The house happened not to be just a home. Not ordinary citizens either. It turned out to the residence of Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili. He is wife of former governor Peter Odili of Rivers State.
Of course, she and her aides resisted vehemently. Who would not?
Seeing the ugly handwriting on the cracked wall, the EFCC opted out.
It disowned Umar:
“The commission 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 matter became messy. Moving rapidly from worse to worst. The centre could no longer hold. It attracted unkind reactions all over. It was clearly going out of control.The heat was increasing by the seconds. It was condemnation galore dotted with thumps-down. It is still counting, unabated, unrestrained.
Not to be left out, Iyanna went back to his desk. He adequately decoded the unpleasant message. He got it right. He examined Umar’s affidavit over and over again.
To his chagrin, he came face-to-face with big loopholes. The affidavitwas exceptionally faulty. Its many defects could not be glossed over.
They could not be swept under the dirty carpet. He roared to high heavens: “Upon misrepresentation to this 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. In view of the above fact, the said search warrant is hereby revoked.”
The search warrant was hurriedly revoked. The very like manner it was hurriedly issued, obtained and executed. So be it. And Umar and Co. became naked. They were publicly stripped of all powers they feigned they had. Worst still, he and his cohorts have become lepers.
Now, everybody is scared of the invasion. The masterminds and actors are the worst hit. They are being haunted, hunted and hurt by their warped conscience.
All of them are maintaining comfortable distance from the senseless raid. They are using long poles. They no longer want to come near or be associated with it.
Why did they do it in the first instance? Why are they shamelessly denying themselves? Why are they brazenly passing the stinking buck?
Glaringly, the conceptualisation, planning and execution of the siege were done for the absurd. That is why this should not end at that. Umar ought to have been arrested and prosecuted. This should be done without thinking twice.
He should not be allowed to walk freely in the street. He misled us. He brought great embarrassment to the Odili family.
Nothing can compensate for the irreparable damages caused them. The like of Umar need to be curtailed and contained. They should be put in permanent check. Umar, his sponsors and masterminds should be isolated. They must pay for their costly mischief.