NBA condemns invasion of Supreme Court judge, Mary Odili’s home

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), on Saturday, condemned the Friday’s siege laid by security operatives to the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Courtroom, Mary Odili.

In a statement issued on behalf of the affiliation, the president, Olumide Akpata, explained the act as an “affront on the judiciary, designed to intimidate and ridicule the judiciary”.

He stated the affiliation would maintain an unexpected emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) on the issue.

No date was disclosed in the assertion.

“To be crystal clear, last night’s party is an affront on the judiciary and grossly undermines the democracy that we profess to practise.

“In line with the aims and aims of the NBA which contain the protection and defence of the independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law in Nigeria, we will be convening an unexpected emergency conference of the NBA Countrywide Government Committee exclusively to examine this concern and consider a definitive stand on behalf of the NBA,” Mr Akpata reported.

The NBA president also explained he would lead a delegation to meet with the Legal professional-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and the heads of the numerous stability agencies.

This, he mentioned, would be finished, “to seek further clarification on the situations of this incident.”

‘Those dependable will have to be brought to book’

He included that the NBA would “ensure that all these liable for this regrettable incident are introduced to ebook.”

“We should do all that is essential to safeguard the independence of our judiciary and without a doubt safeguard our really hard-won democracy,” he included.

Each the Financial and Monetary Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the State Safety Company (SSS), originally noted to have led the invasion of the judge’s home, have denied any involvement in the act.

The AGF, Mr Malami, who was indicated in court docket paperwork as the applicant who attained the lookup warrant executed at Mrs Odili’s home on Friday, has also distanced himself from the event.

Mr Malami pointed out in his assertion on Saturday that some “incongruities” in the courtroom paperwork filed at the Main Magistrate’s Courtroom in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, recommended that the documents could have emanated from his office environment.

Noting that a police officer appeared to have signed the document, Mr Malami called on “relevant authorities” to intensify investigations into the subject and prosecute any individual discovered to be culpable.

‘Rogue stability agencies’

With Mr Malami’s denial on Saturday, the NBA president stated this “suggests the inference that the home of the next most senior judicial officer in Nigeria was raided by rogue safety agencies”.

“The grave implications of this chance go away a ton to be preferred,” Mr Akpata claimed, as he recalled similar prevalence in 2016 when SSS operatives invaded the households of numerous judges such as two of the Supreme Courtroom, and other individuals of the Federal Higher Courtroom.

“When considered in the context of a identical raid on the premises of Supreme Court docket Justices in 2016, the rationale of which was by no means fully explained or in fact justified, the NBA interprets previous night’s incident as a portion of an orchestrated affront on the judiciary, designed to intimidate and ridicule the judiciary.

“The NBA will no extended let this to continue on.”

He expressed regrets that the law enforcement agencies had not learnt their lessons, incorporating that “events like this do almost nothing but erode the independence of sacred democratic establishments like the judiciary, undermine the rule of legislation in Nigeria, and set the country back in the quest to instill self esteem in citizens of Nigeria, Nigerian enterprises, and overseas traders that Nigeria operates a democracy with an independent judiciary.”

‘Mrs Odili alive and well’

Meanwhile, Mr Akpata also claimed he had spoken with Mrs Odili, the wife of a previous governor of Rivers Point out, Peter Odili, and next most senior Justice of the Supreme Courtroom, and confident she was alive and nicely.

“I have spoken with My Lord, Peter-Odili JSC and I am delighted to report that she is alive and well,” he reported.

As the information broke on Friday, numerous stories quickly instructed that the protection operatives’ invasion of Mrs Odili’s home was fuelled by reported EFCC’s investigations of her spouse, who was Rivers Point out governor in between 1999 and 2007.

The EFCC had produced a shift to prosecute Mr Odili but was barred by the Federal Significant Court docket which issued a perpetual injunction restraining EFCC and other protection companies from arresting him.

Not long ago, Mr Odili filed a go well with at the Federal Higher Court in Abuja to challenge the seizure of his passport by the Nigeria Immigration Provider (NIS) which claimed to have acted on EFCC’s instruction.

Offering judgement in the accommodate earlier in Oct, the judge, Inyang Ekwo, purchased the NIS to launch Mr Odili’s passport, while also affirming the previous court docket selections prohibiting his prosecution.