Suspects In Odili’s House Raid To Be Arraigned Dec 16

The 15 suspects who allegedly raided the home of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili, will be arraigned on December 16, 2021, the police have said.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, disclosed this during an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, adding that the charges had been filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Mba said, “I can confirm to you that the suspects will be arraigned before a Federal High Court.

“The charges were filed on November 24 but the court has set December 16 for arraignment.”

Some of those to be arraigned include a senior immigration officer, Abdullahi Usman.

Others to be arraigned are a journalist, a banker, a lawyer, a fake policeman and seven others. Altogether, about 15 suspects are expected to be charged this week in Abuja.

However, our correspondent learnt that the soldiers who allegedly took part in the raid have yet to be arrested.

The home of Justice Odili located on Imo River Crescent in the Maitama area of Abuja was raided on October 29, 2021 by some men claiming to be members of the Joint Panel Recovery unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The men, including soldiers, embarked on the raid after obtaining a search warrant signed by a Chief Magistrate Court.

However, the court later revoked the search warrant, claiming to have been deceived by the panel.

After the fiasco, the police swung into investigation and arrested some of the persons involved. The police claimed the suspects were part of a crime syndicate known for doing such raids.

The team leader, one CSP Lawrence Ajodo, admitted that he was not a policeman but claimed he was a consultant for the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, a claim the latter has denied.

The Nigerian Bar Association is also investigating the matter and is expected to release its findings soon.

Last week, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, warned that the judiciary would no longer condone any harassment.