Sequel to the raid of Justice Mary Odili’s how last week, the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, to unravel and prosecute those behind the operation.
General John Dukku, the group leader has alleged that the raid by security operatives was a ploy to intimidate and force Odili out of her position in the Supreme Court, adding that the raid was an affront on the Niger Delta region.
A statement by the group read in part, “We have carefully studied the situation and events that led to the invasion of Justice Odili’s home, the siege by the combined team of the Department of State Services (DSS), Army, Police, and eventual unlawful invasion of the property without a valid search warrant by agents of the state, and we want to state that this is an affront on the sensibility of Niger Delta people.
“We can authoritatively say that the only offence of Justice Mary Odili is that she is the second-highest-ranking judge at the Supreme Court and she is from the Niger Delta region. The Coalition rejects the claim by the government that suspicious activities were going on in the building. This claim is baseless and unacceptable.
“We are compelled to ask: what kind of illegal activity could be suspected in the home of a respected justice of the Supreme Court, whose husband has also served as a state governor for eight years? What was the motive behind that invasion? Why is this current administration under President Muhammadu Buhari fighting so hard to bring down Niger Delta people?
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“It could be recalled that the President Muhammadu Buhari government did same to our elder statesman, Pa Edwin Clark. It claimed that an unnamed whistleblower informed that there was a stockpile of arms and ammunition in Clark’s house in Abuja.
“After several hours of the invasion, nothing incriminating was found. We waited patiently to see the prosecution of the purported whistleblower. But up till now, no one has been arrested or prosecuted for criminally invading the house of a man that has spent the greater part of his life building the Nigerian state.”
The statement added, “It is on record that the current administration, since its inception, has adopted the method of tyrants and executive misconduct towards the judiciary. Recall also that many justices in the South-South, perceived by the government as enemies, have either been arrested or harassed by the DSS.
“Who ordered the invasion? What was the motive? Why is such an illegal invasion important now? If the government fails to answer the above questions and apologise to Odili’s family and the Niger Delta people, and prosecute the perpetrators within the 14 days, we shall not hesitate to let the Nigerian government know how we feel.”
