Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday gave the Federal Government 48 hours to unveil the invaders of Justice Mary Odili’s house.
Addressing a press conference along with Rivers State Leaders of Thought at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Governor Wike said a series of events had shown that the Odili family is being targeted, just as he alleged that Friday’s invasion of the residence of Justice Odili by security agents was an assassination attempt.
While noting that it’s not enough for government agencies to claim ignorance of the invasion, he insisted that government must take action against all those involved.
He pointed out that since the person who made a complaint against her residence and the personnel who went there are known, the government had no reason not to take action against them.
Wike said it was not a mere coincidence that after participating in the Bayelsa State election panel, some people entered Justice Odili’s house.
He noted that her husband and former Rivers governor, Chief Peter Odili’s passport was seized on his return from abroad, followed by Friday’s invasion of her Abuja residence.
He said if the Federal Government says it is not involved in the invasion, it must take steps to convince the people that it has no hand in it.
Wike said if anything happens to any member of the Odili family, the people of Rivers State will hold the Federal Government responsible.
According to the governor, it was not the first time such had happened as he recalled the experience of late Justice Sylvester Ogwuta, who he said may have succumbed to the trauma of the invasion of his residence by security agents. In a related development, the House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary on Sunday condemned the invasion of Justice Peter-Odili’s residence.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the chairman of the committee, Honourable Onofiok Luke, the committee described the invasion as “a repudiation of judicial independence and an assault on the sanctity of the nation’s judiciary.”
According to the committee, “this unfortunate development is also a wake-up call to tighten administrative and supervisory control over the operations of law enforcement agencies in the country.
“On this note, the House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary calls for a discreet investigation to unravel the persons behind this ignoble act, which is capable of straining the existing relationship between the judiciary and the executive arms of our democratic government.”
The committee, while condemning in totality such ignoble action, pledged to every effort at ensuring the sanctity of the nation’s judiciary and assured its continuous support to the independence of the nation’s judiciary.
The committee said, “It is mind-boggling that in the dusk of 29 October 2021, the judiciary was once again exposed to public opprobrium due to the uncanny manner in which the residence of the Honourable Justice Mary Peter-Odili of the Supreme Court of Nigeria was invaded by law enforcement officials purportedly on an assignment to execute a search warrant issued by a magistrate.
Also disturbing is the fact that the said warrant was revoked by the issuing magistrate who had discovered that it was procured by the applicant on the premise of misrepresented facts.
As a committee currently interfacing with the Judiciary for an improved judicial reform and justice system”.
