Police arrest 14 persons connected with invasion of Justice Mary Odili’s residence
The Nigerian Police Force, on Thursday, announced the arrest of 14 persons connected with the invasion of the house of Justice Mary Odili.
The siege on the Abuja residence of the Supreme Court Judge has drawn condemnation from many Nigerians and several interest groups and politicians including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Niger Delta Agitators, the Supreme Court, several state governors, among others.
The police said that some of the arrested suspects include a fake Chief Superintendent of Police, Lawrence Ajodo; a journalist with one of the national dailies, and an Islamic scholar.
According to Channels, this disclosure was made by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, during the parade of the suspects in Abuja on Thursday.
Mba explained that their arrest followed a swift investigation by the police adding that at least 10 more persons linked with the incident including 2 military personnel are at large.
The arrest is the latest in a series of events since some armed men laid siege on Justice Odili’s apartment in Maitama.
The Inspector-General of Police (IG) Alkali Usman, had over a week ago, said operatives who raided the residence of Justice Mary Odili had been arrested.
Following public outcry, the IG had disclosed that an investigation into the incident had commenced and assured that the perpetrators would be fished out and brought to justice.
What you should know
Recall that in October, Justice Odili’s Maitama residence was invaded by armed security operatives at night for reasons yet to be ascertained, an incident which has been criticized from many quarters.
The River State Governor, Nyesom Wike, had in his reaction, given the Federal Government a 48-hour ultimatum to get the perpetrators and claimed that the incident was an assassination attempt on the lives of Justice Mary Odili, the husband and members of the family.
The NBA had also called on the Federal Government to set up a panel to probe the siege, describing it as an assault on the judiciary.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had denied being part of those that carried out the operations as claimed by some media reports.
