Justice Odili’s Seige: Why Malami Cannot Set Up Probe Panel – Ubani

The Chairman of Section, Public Interest And Development Law (SPIDEL) of the Nigerian Bar Association, Monday Ubani, has explained why the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, cannot set up an independent panel to probe the siege of Justice Mary Odili’s residence.

Ubani, the special investigator of the Nigeria Bar Association probing the invasion of Justice Mary Odili’s home by security agents and a former Second Vice-President of the NBA, believes the Attorney General of the Federation has been implicated by one of the suspects arrested in connection with the incident.

“The minimum the NBA will really be happy about is the President setting up an independent panel of inquiry,” he said on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“It is wrong for probably the AGF to investigate himself because of the fact that he has been implicated sort of, not that he has been found liable but somebody mentioned his name.

“Then the police went there, the soldiers were also involved. Can the police really investigate them and come out with a clean story?”

On October 29, some security operatives, including police officers laid a siege on the Abuja residence of Mrs Odili, a justice of the Supreme Court and wife of former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili.

Amid criticism sparked by the action of the operatives, some security agencies denied having any connection with the incident.

Mr Malami had also denied ordering any action of such while the Inspector General of Police ordered an investigation into the incident.

This led to the arrest of 14 suspects by the police, including one Lawrence Ajodo who claimed to have worked previously with the AGF.

“The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a total of fourteen (14) suspects including the principal suspect – a fake Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) – for complicity in the failed criminal trespass on the Abuja residence of Justice Mary Odili on Friday, 29th October 2021,” the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba had said in a statement.

“The suspects were arrested following investigations conducted by detectives from the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) which clearly revealed the criminal involvement and individual roles the suspects played in the invasion of the residence of the revered Supreme Court Judge.”

While Ubani reiterated the call by NBA President, Olumide Akpata, for President Muhammadu Buhari to set up an independent panel of inquiry to uncover the circumstances behind the incident, Malami insisted that he had no hand in the incident.

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