Court Commences Trial Of 15 Suspects Over Raid On Justice Odili’s Residence

*Grants three N5m bail each

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday commenced the trial of the 15 suspects over their alleged involvement on October 29, 2021, unlawful invasion of the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Peter-Odili.

The 15 defendants, including a woman, were slammed with an amended 18-count criminal charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and unlawful invasion, to which they pleaded not guilty on December 14, 2021.

When the matter came up yesterday, counsel to the 11th, 14th and 15th defendants argued the bail application for their clients, which the court granted, admitting the three defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million each and two sureties each in likes sum.

The Judge said one of the sureties of each of the defendants must be a responsible citizen and an owner of landed property in Abuja while the second surety must be gainfully employed in Abuja with evidence of tax payment as at when due for the past three years.

The sureties, she said must depose to an affidavit of means and that the court will confirm the landed property of the sureties, which its original title to be deposited with the court.

The defendants she said, must deposit their international passport with the court and the Comptroller General of immigration will be notified of the seizure of the international passport.

After granting the defendants bail, the court commenced the trial of the defendants, with the prosecution counsel, Matthew Amosun calling his first witness, ASP Madaki Chidawa.

In his evidence, the PW1 told the court that he knew the defendants on October 29 last year when they invaded Justice Odili’s home.

The witness said on that faithful day, “The defendants, comprising of Army officers, led by CSP Lawrence Adjodo at about 18:00 hours arrived the Abuja residence of Justice Odili with a search warrant signed by a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja.

“I refused to allow them into the house for the search because the number on the search warrant they showed me read, No. 7 Imo/Rivers street, Maitaima, while Odili’s home is on No. 9, Imo/Rivers Street, Maitama, Abuja.

“They gave me a number to call if I was doubting them. On dialling the said number for confirmation, the true-caller showed the name of one, Ojo Ola EFCC”, the witness told the court.

The statement of the witness made to the police a day after the incident was tendered as evidence before the court.

After a cross-examination by counsel to the first and fourth defendants, the court adjourned till March 1 for cross-examination of PW1 by counsel to other defendants.

Mentioned as defendants in the charge numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/436/2021 are, Adjodo Lawrence, Michael Diete-Spiff, Barr. Alex Onyekuru, Bayero Lawal, Barr. Igwe Ernest, Aliyu Umar Ibrahim and Hajia Maimuna Maishanu.

Others are, Dr Ayodele Akindipe, Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Musa, ASP Mohammed Yahaya, Stanley Nkwazema, Shehu Jibo, Abdulahi Adamu and Abdulahi Usman, while others are at large.

In count one on the charge sheet, the Police accused the defendants of conspiring to commit a felony, to wit; making and uttering of forged document, an offence punishable under section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count two of the charge said, the defendants and others now at large, on or about October 28, 2021, at Jahi 1, after transformer junction, Abuja, “Did aid, counsel, procure and conspire to commit a felony, to wit forgery and uttering of forged document and thereby commit an offence punishable under section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004”.

Count three reads, “That you Adjodo F. Lawrence (aka Ola Ojo), on or about the 28th day of October 2021 at Jahi 1, after transformer junction, Abuja, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court did make and utter forged identity card with the inscription: Ndayebo A.M., Admin officer, Assets Tax Recovery Unit with ID No. 008 and with the logo Wf the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Nigeria Police, Department of State Security Service and the Nigeria coat of arms, knowing it to be false or with the intent that it may be used or acted upon as genuine in Nigeria to the prejudice of residents of the No.9 Imo street Maitama Abuja and thereby commit an offence, punishable under section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004”.

In count 18, they were accused of attempting to put the members of Justice Mary Odili household in fear of injury in other to commit extortion and thereby commit an offence punishable under Section 293 of the Penal Code Law (Cap 89 Laws of the Northern Nigeria 1963).

The court had, last month admitted other defendants in the matter to bail on the same conditions granted the last three yesterday.

It will be recalled that, the Force headquarters, while parading the suspects after their arrest, described them as impostors who were unknown to any of the nation’s security forces.

Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects at Force Criminal Investigations Department, said one of them is a fake Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Lawrence Adjodo, while seven others still at large conspired to raid the residence, following information that the Supreme Court Justice was keeping large sum of money in foreign currencies.

“The seven suspects still at large include two soldiers,” the Force PRO said and reiterated that the suspects involved in the criminal acts came from different professional backgrounds and were not “security operatives.”

Mba said the Police High Command had commended the resistance put up by the security personnel attached to Odili’s residence for not allowing the suspects access to the building on the day of the incident as, it could have been the greatest embarrassment to the nation before the international community if the operation had succeeded.

It would be recalled that scores of security operatives had invaded the residence of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili’s Maitama residence on the grounds of alleged tip-off by a whistleblower, one Aliyu Umar, who claimed to have observed suspicious activities at the Supreme Court Justice’s residence

Consequently, an order by Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna was said to have approved the search warrant by a body identified as the Joint Panel Recovery unit in the Ministry of Justice, on October 29, 2021, leading to the invasion of Justice Odili’s home.

The magistrate later revoked the order, saying he was misled while the Police and other security agencies also said they were not aware of the raid.