‘Nigerian Judiciary cannot only bark but can also bite,’ as Supreme Court warns Buhari govt over Justice Odili assault

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has condemned the invasion of the residence of a Justice of the apex court, Mary Odili by security operatives last Friday.

Justice Odili is the wife of a former Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili.

Reacting to the incident where security operatives stormed the private residence of Justice Odili, Friday, brandishing a search warrant from a Magistrate’s Court in Abuja, which the judge in question revoked citing misinformation, the officers insisted on searching the home of the Supreme Court Justice on the claims of acting on a petition by a whistle blower who had alleged ‘illegal activities’ at the home.

Following condemnations that have trailed the episode, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Baba Alkali, since ordered an investigation while also disclosing that the officers who participated in the raid have been arrested.

This was even as both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Security (DSS) denied involvement in the Friday night operation. However, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, it was gathered, reportedly sanctioned the raid.

The Supreme Court, in a statement signed by its Director of Press & Information, Dr Festus Akande, described the invasion of Odili’s home as a reminder of the ‘October 2016 midnight invasion of the homes of our respected justices with no satisfactory explanations as to the true motive behind such brazen assault on our collective sensibility.’

The Court, while decrying the ‘uncivilized and shameful show of primitive force on an innocent judicial officer that has so far spent several years of her productive life serving the country she calls her own,’ reminded President Muhammadu Buhari that the ‘Nigerian Judiciary cannot only bark but can also bite,’ adding that judicial officers in the country ‘can no longer be treated with disdain and levity.’

The statement read: “We are alarmed with the news of the unwarranted and despicable raid on the official residence of one of our senior justices in the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Mary Peter Odili, JSC, CFR on Friday 29th October, 2021 in a Gestapo manner that unfortunately depicted a gory picture of war by some armed persons suspected to be security operatives representing different agencies of government, who seemed to have come to kill and maim their target under the guise of undertaking a search whose warrant was questionable and baseless.

“We are deeply saddened and taken aback by this uncivilized and shameful show of primitive force on an innocent judicial officer that has so far spent several years of her productive life serving the country she calls her own.

“This incident brought back, rather painfully, the ugly memory of the October 2016 midnight invasion of the homes of our respected justices with no satisfactory explanations as to the true motive behind such brazen assault on our collective sensibility.

“We wish to make it abundantly clear that the Nigerian Judiciary is the third arm of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and should be respected and treated as such.

“We have had a full dosage of this fusillade of unwarranted and unprovoked attacks on our judicial officers and even facilities across the country and we say it loudly now that enough is enough.

“The judiciary should never be misconstrued by any individual or institution of government as the weeping child among the three arms of government that must always be chastised and ridiculed to silence because of our conservative disposition.

“Though there have emerged discordant tunes from the various security agencies that allegedly participated in the dastardly act, we are not lying low on this dehumanizing treatment meted out to one of our own.

“We have commenced a full-scale independent investigation to unravel the true masquerades behind the mystery as well as the real motives behind the whole imbroglio.

“Similarly, we call on the Inspector General of Police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to rise up to the occasion by carrying out a discreet investigation and make his findings known to the Nigerian public with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice as quickly as possible.

“The Nigerian Judiciary cannot only bark but can also bite. We can no longer be treated with disdain and levity.

“The rule of law and constitutionality must govern our conduct so that we can tag along with the comity of nations and be taken seriously too.”