Politics
How FG misled Court to issue search warrant against Justice Odili
An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse Zone 6, has revoked a search warrant it granted the Federal Government against Justice Mary Odili after discovering it was misled.
Recall that security operatives and personnel of the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) were reported to have raided the Supreme Court Justice’s home at No. 9, Imo Street, Maitama, Abuja on Friday.
According to reports gathered by NewsWireNGR, the raid was part of investigations into her husband, Peter Odili, who is a former Governor of Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has denied being part of the raid.
However, the search warrant earlier issued by the Abuja Magistrate court was granted to the Joint Panel Recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice to search the home of the second most senior jurist of the apex court, after the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad.
The panel comprises the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force and the Ministry of Justice.
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Withdrawing the search warrant, Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna said he was deceived to do so through misrepresentation of facts by two affidavits that were deposed to by a self-acclaimed whistleblower, Aliyu Umar, and a senior Police Officer, CSP Lawrence Ajodo.
The revocation order read: “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. In view of the above fact, the said search warrant is hereby revoked”.
This is not the first time security operatives are breaking into the homes of Nigerian judges since President Muhammadu Buhari took over power in 2016.
NewsWireNGR recalls that operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) invaded residences of some judges in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Gombe in a bid to arrest them.
