A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, heard from an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Madaki Chidawa, how he frustrated the unlawful search on the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court, Mary Odili, on October 19 last year.
He was giving evidence in the trial of 15 persons, including a housewife accused of perpetrating the unlawful act at the No. 7 Imo Rivers Street, Maitama official residence of the apex court justice.
During the trial, which was initiated by the Inspector-General of Police, Chidawa informed Justice Evelyn Maha that the defendants, led by a Chief Superintendent of Police, Lawrence Ajodo, stormed the house in a fearful manner around 6pm of October 19, 2021.
On arrival, the witness said the defendants demanded to execute a search warrant on the house as a team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Assets Recovery Panel attached to the Federal Ministry of Justice.
He told the court that he demanded for the search warrant and upon going through it, he discovered that it was signed by a chief magistrate and addressed to No. 9 Imo Crescent, Abuja.
Chidawa explained that he used the wrong address on the search warrant to resist the execution since the house of Justice Odili was No. 7 Imo Rivers Street.
The witness further informed the court that he subsequently ran to Justice Odili, who made some phone calls that eventually aborted the unlawful mission of the defendants.
He said upon realising that the mission had been aborted, Ajodo, who allegedly paraded a suspicious identity card of the Federal Ministry of Justice, then threatened to deal with him when they come back with reinforcement, but that the defendants never returned.
Meanwhile, the trial has been adjourned to March 1, 2022 by Justice Maha.
The defendants comprised two senior lawyers, Alex Onyekuru and Igwe Ernest; a journalist, Stanley Nkwazema, and a housewife, Hajia Memunat Maisanu.
The list also include Adjodo Lawrence, Michael Diete-Spiff, Alex Onyekuru, Bayero Lawal (aka Director of EFCC), Igwe Ernest, Aliyu Umar Ibrahim, Hajiya Maimuna Maishanu and Dr Ayodele Akindipe (aka herbalist).
Others are Yusuf Adamu (aka Godson to Chief Peter Odili), Bashir Musa, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mohammed Yahaya, Stanley Nkwazema, Shehu Jibo, Abdullahi Adamu and Abdullahi Usman.
They were arraigned by the IG on 18 counts before Justice Maha for which they had all pleaded not guilty.
Copyright PUNCH.
