The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, says the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has been interviewed over the recent invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili.
Baba made this known when he received a delegation of Rivers’ elders and elected representatives led by Governor Nyesom Wike at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Tuesday.
The IGP said the police interviewed Malami based on the confession of the lead suspect, Lawrence Ajodo, who had claimed to be a consultant to the minister.
Baba stated that Malami denied ever meeting Ajodo or ever being on the payroll of the Ministry of Justice under his supervision.
The police boss, however, said the minister actually confirmed that his ministry had initially constituted a recovery team, but that team had since been disbanded.
Baba stated that the suspects involved in the illegal siege were still in police custody amid the ongoing investigation and would soon be charged to court.
Speaking on the issue of the magistrate who issued the search warrant, the IGP said a letter was sent to the Chief Registrar of the Federal Capital Territory requesting his release for questioning.
He added that the magistrate will soon be questioned, saying that he has not denied the fact that he issued a search warrant that led to the illegal raid.
He said, “We wrote a letter to the Chief Registrar of FCT to release the magistrate, and instead of releasing him, they replied to our letter, plus his statement to us. So, we don’t want to pick any quarrel.
“What we needed was the statement. We are working on the statement. He has not denied the fact that he issued a search warrant and that is what we wanted to confirm.”
Earlier, Governor Wike appealed to the police boss to unravel the real motive behind the recent invasion of the residence of Justice Odili.
He also charged the IGP to ensure that all those directly or indirectly involved in the illegal raid face the full wrath of the law.
