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Details have emerged over the October 29 raid Maitama, Abuja residence of Supreme Court judge, Justice Mary Odili, as the police on Thursday paraded 14 suspects involved in the incident.
The police found out that the team who stormed the Odili’s home were not security operatives.
The men were said to have been led by a fake Chief Superintendent of Police, Lawrence Ajojo, who admitted that he was engaged as a consultant by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Parading the suspects at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Garki, Abuja, Force spokesman, Frank Mba said the suspects involved in the criminal acts came from different professional backgrounds.
He said the suspects include a fake chief superintendent of police (CSP), a journalist, and an Islamic scholar.
Mba said 10 other suspects, including two military personnel, are currently at large.
“The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
“Earlier on, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice had also submitted a written petition into the office of the IGP, requesting a robust and discreet investigation into the matter, with the aim of unravelling the identities of the persons involved, their motives, and perhaps, the authorities, if any, behind them.
“The case was subsequently handed over to the force intelligence bureau on the instruction of the IGP,” Mba said.
Speaking, Ajojo told pressmen that he was not a police officer, adding that he was a consultant to the AGF.
“I am not an officer of the Nigeria Police but a consultant for the AGF; he did not send us the raid on Mrs Odili’s house,” he said.
A complement of security operatives had stormed Odili’s Maitama residence on the strength of a purported tip by a whistleblower, Aliyu Umar, who claimed to have observed suspicious activities at the Supreme Court Justice’s residence.
Following the approval of a search warrant by Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna, a body identified as the Joint Panel Recovery unit in the Ministry of Justice, on October 29 , 2021, besieged Odili’s home but they were reportedly resisted.
The magistrate later revoked the order, saying he was misled.
The incident sparked an outrage with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Malami (SAN) absolving his office of involvement in the operation.
The police leadership also said it was not aware of the raid.