*Says Disowning Suspect Doesn’t Exonerate AGF Yet
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The special investigator of the Nigerian Bar Association probing the invasion of Justice Mary Odili’s home by security agents, Mr Monday Ubani, on Saturday hailed the government for the arrest of suspects over the invasion of the home of Justice, Mary Odili.
Ubani gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in reaction to the arrest of the suspects.
In his reaction, Ubani commended the government for its proactive efforts in tackling the issue.
He said that the development simply depicts the government’s commitment to addressing issues of this nature, and urged that the identity of the suspects be revealed in no time.
“It is a good development if we now have people that have been arrested; it simply means that the government is taking this seriously and it is also important that these people are made known in good time.
“Let me also cease this opportunity to debunk any idea that anyone has been found guilty or convicted.
“I was only appointed as a special investigator to get the side of the story for the use of the NBA, as the Bar, being the largest professional pressure group, is a major stakeholder in Nigerian Justice administration.
“Therefore, it is important for the NBA to get their own facts on this issue,” he said.
According to Ubani, it is important for the government to thoroughly deal with such weird occurrences now, so as not to raise up their “ugly” faces in the future.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, Ubani said, “It is the man’s word against the AFG’s, so it is subject to further investigation; it can’t stop at that level. We need to get to the root of the matter to know who is actually lying between the AGF and the man.”
“It is worrisome for the home of the second-highest officer in the Judiciary to be invaded and then the invaders are discovered to be fake officials; it calls for concern and quick action.
“We, therefore, urge the Federal government to set up an independent panel of enquiry either judicial or otherwise, in order to ascertain what really transpired.
“I think this is the minimum the NBA demands,” he said (NAN)
While reiterating that the raid on Justice Odili’s home was a national embarrassment for Nigeria, Ubani added, “What the NBA wants is to get to the root of the matter from our own perspective. The police are doing their own investigation by parading some persons; we (NBA) needs to reach out to those people and hear their own side of the story. That will make our work easier. It is also important to meet all the relevant persons that the NBA has asked me to meet in order to get to the root of this matter, so that we can present a detailed report to the NBA, which will help to deepen administration of justice in the country.”
Recall that the Abuja home of the Supreme Court Justice Odili was on Oct. 29, invaded by some unknown security agents, on the purported orders of a Magistrate Court.
The said invasion has since met with widespread criticisms and concerns from the NBA as well as other public interest groups, calling for a thorough investigation into the ordeal.
The NBA on its part, had on Nov. 5, set up a special investigation panel headed by Ubani, to facilitate the investigation process.
Meanwhile, on Nov. 11, the Nigerian police announced that it had arrested a group of 14 persons, including a journalist, who allegedly posed as security personnel to raid the home of Odili.
Parading the suspects at the force headquarters annex, the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, described the suspects as impostors
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