The raid on the Abuja residence of Supreme Court judge, Justice Mary Odili, on October 29, is one incident that has attracted condemnations from many Nigerians. The raid is despicable and reprehensible. A joint panel recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice comprising the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force and the Ministry of Justice, had obtained a warrant from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chief Magistrate, presided by Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna, after a whistleblower, Aliyu Umar, claimed that he observed some illegal activities on a certain building on Imo Street, Maitama Abuja. However, the team ended up in Odili’s house but did not find anything incriminating.
We condemn the siege in strong terms. It is a matter that should be thoroughly investigated. Whether it is a case of mistaken identity or a deliberate act by overzealous security agents, the raid is an attack on the temple of justice. The invasion, for whatever it represents, amounts to an abridgement of the rights of a senior judicial officer who has been discharging her duties diligently. More baffling is that days after the incident, no action has been taken by the authorities on the incident.
It is pertinent that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, have distanced themselves and offices from the raid. The EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has particularly absolved the commission of the action. In defending the organisation, Bawa had insisted: “It is not an EFCC thing. I have called all the security and law enforcement agencies in the country and they also denied that anybody has been sent to the house to carry out any search or arrest.”
It is not enough that the EFCC and the AGF have denied their involvement in the exercise. This is a case where denial cannot hold water. It is one ugly development that the Federal Government cannot gloss over or sweep under the carpet. It borders on democracy and rule of law. It is good that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Body of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (BOSAN) and other stakeholders have condemned the raid and warned of the consequences of such dangerous action. The NBA has in particular described the raid as an affront on the judiciary and an attempt to intimidate it.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has also condemned the siege, describing it as unlawful act and impunity taken too far. The court also described the attack as uncivilised and a shameful show of primitive force on an innocent judicial officer. In a statement, the apex court said it was deeply saddened by the incident, adding that it brought back painful memories of the October 2016 midnight invasion of the homes of some justices, with no satisfactory explanations as to the true motive behind such brazen assault. In that ugly episode, Justices John Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta were arrested on October 8, 2016, on allegations of corruption but later exonerated from the charges against them, after being publicly disgraced. Justice Ngwuta died shortly after his reinstatement.
The Odili affair should not be allowed to go this way. The resolve by the Supreme Court to embark on an independent investigation to unravel the perpetrators of the raid and their motives, is a step in the right direction. We urge the government to follow suit.
The disclosure by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman, that those behind the cowardly raid have been apprehended and are being investigated, is encouraging. Nigerians would want to know the outcome of the investigation. Let this not count among the investigations that the results never saw the light of the day.
An attack on the judiciary is a direct assault on one of the tripods on which democracy stands. The other two are the executive and legislature. A siege on any of them is an invitation to anarchy. What has happened to Odili is an insult on the judiciary. Her position as a Justice of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, should accord her some respect, except in a proven instance of abuse of office, which in this case, has not been established. The raid on her home, is by extension, a violation of the institution of the Supreme Court – the apex court which makes pronouncements that have the force of the law, as the constitution.
Government should streamline its security operations. Let there not be a repeat of this act of impunity, subsequently. Senior judicial officers should be treated with the dignity their positions deserved.