A Bayelsa State-based legal practitioner, Wisdom Meni Adike Esq, popularly known as Junior Gani, has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney-General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and four others before the Federal High Court over the last Friday’s invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili by a combined team of ‘unknown’ security agents in Abuja.
Also listed as respondents in the suit numbered FHC/YNC/CS/107/2021 are the Nigerian Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), CSP Lawrence F. Ajodo and Mr. Aliyu Umar Ibrahim.
Barrister Adike in the motion on notice filed on Tuesday and copies made available to journalists on Thursday, is asking the court to declare the invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili on October 29, 2021 by the operatives of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents with a search warrant fraudulently obtained by the 5th defendant as unconstitutional, wrongful, amount to executive lawlessness, intended to picture the Nigerian State as a lawless democracy, clothed in wipes of dictatorship as the order of the day.
“And that the invasion is a gross violation of the sacred provisions of sections 34, 35, 37, 41, 42 and 43 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Adike, who is also a member of the Public Interest Litigation Committee and member of the NBA Human Rights Committee, Sagbama branch, is also asking the Court to declare that the continuous harassment of Justice Mary Odili and her family by the respondents before and after October 29,2021 is an abuse and a reckless exercise of power, unconstitutional, wrongful and a gross violation of the sacred provisions of sections 34, 35, 37, 41, 42 and 43 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“Also an order of the court stopping the respondents from further harassing, intimidating/falsely imprisoning Justice Mary Odili against her will. An order directing the respondents to keep a 40 kilometers distance away from any of Justice Mary Odili residence. And an order of the Court directing respondents to make public apology on different five (5) different national newspapers and five National Radio Stations within the Nigerian state to Justice Mary Odili and Nigerians for the illegal act perpetuated by the respondents on the 29th day of October, 2021at the residence of Justice Mary Odili.
“An order of the Court directing the respondents to pay the sum of N1billion naira only for the untold public ridicule/humiliation suffered by Justice Mary Odili and the gross violation of her constitutional guaranteed rights to Justice Mary Odili,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, and the National Association of Sea Dogs otherwise known as Pyrates Confraternity have condemned the raid by security operatives on the Abuja residence of the Supreme Court Justice, Justice Mary Odili.
Governor Diri described the incident as an ill-advised sting operation and an attempt to intimidate the judiciary, which is an independent arm of government.
The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) called for a full inquiry over the incident and demanded that the probe should begin with the Chief Magistrate, Emmanuel Iyanna, the alleged whistle blower, Aliyu Umar and CSP Lawrence Ajodo.
Credit: Leadership