The invasion of Justice Odili’s residence

IN a deplorable and brazen affront to the judiciary  by the executive arm of government, the private residence of the second most senior judicial officer in the land, Justice Mary Peter-Odili,  was unlawfully invaded by some unscrupulous security agents last week. The ground for the invasion was the alleged illegal activities going on in the Number 9, Imo Street, Maitama, Abuja, residence of the judicial officer. And the same was reported to the police which reportedly approached an Abuja Magistrates’ Court. The  magistrate issued a search warrant on the residence based on the petition by a yet to be named person. It will be recalled that the recent intrusion is not without precedent. The private residences of some judicial officers, including some Supreme Court justices, were violated by officials of the Department of State Service (DSS) in the wee hours of October 8, 2016. Despite public outrage at the encroachment and the polemics generated on the propriety or otherwise of the invasion, no satisfactory official explanation or  justification has been made, let alone bringing the offending security agents and their supervisors to book. The impunity that prevailed  for more than  five years after that incident most probably encouraged the recent incident.

The warrant granting the invasion has been reportedly revoked but much damage has already been done and the judiciary put in a bad spot. Curiously, it contained neither the details of the person carrying out the alleged illegal activities which formed the basis of the petitioner’s complaint nor the actual address of Justice Odili whose premises was to be ransacked. If the magistrate had been meticulous, she would not have signed that warrant. It is most unfortunate that the embarrassing incident had the imprimatur of a judicial officer who negligently signed an instrument that has put the judiciary in another round of ridicule. It is common knowledge that security agents have  disdain for the average citizen’s rights, but to extend that disdain repeatedly to senior judicial officers is the height of audacity, and requires an inquest.  Virtually all the law enforcement agencies, including the leadership of the Ministry of Justice, have denied  culpability for the show of shame. But it is difficult to believe that this egregious incident could have happened without the knowledge and approval of the hierarchy of the security agencies and the Ministry of Justice.

There have been calls for a painstaking inquiry into the unlawful invasion, even though we believe that if an investigation of the incident is still  necessary at all, it has been made much easier by the fact that there was a petitioner  and someone approached the Magistrates’ Court for the questionable search warrant.  The focus, therefore, should be on unmasking the identity of the petitioners and the person who received the petition as well as those who approached the court and allegedly made false representations to the magistrate to procure the search warrant. That way, it will be easier to zero in on all the perpetrators of the unlawful act who had the effrontery to break ranks with the constituted authorities to commit illegality and, in the process, drag the name of the law enforcement agencies and the government through the mud.  The magistrate who issued the warrant may also have to be grilled to ascertain whether her case borders only on culpable negligence  and not active connivance with the real culprits.

The rumour doing the rounds that the unlawful invasion  was targeted at sabotaging the possible ascendancy of Justice Odili to the position of CJN after the tenure of the incumbent is disturbing, and only a thorough and dispassionate official  conclusion of the case can douse the associated tension and put a lie to the innuendos. It is somewhat comforting, though, that there has been no open and official support for the recent invasion, unlike that of 2016 which was orchestrated and openly supported by the government. Nonetheless, it is imperative that the Muhammadu Buhari administration comes clean in an unequivocal manner on this event since the nation has more or less witnessed an established pattern of lawlessness. The possibility that a fifth columnist may be responsible for the illegal and morally reprehensible act should not be ruled out either. The Supreme Court, too, must bite, in accordance with its firm and unequivocal  statement following the incident.

With all these recurring infractions, President Buhari’s hope of leaving a good record may be merely utopian. This is certainly not the way to go about it. On all fronts, whether it is the economy, security, anti-graft war or rule of law and so on, it is hard to point to anything that has a similitude of excellence in terms of governance. Without doubt, the unlawful invasion of Justice Odili’s privacy is a testament to all that is wrong with the government and the country. However, if the leadership can treat the instant case with all the seriousness it deserves, ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and sanctioned, and institute a mechanism to prevent a recurrence, then it may have started to rewrite its blighted scorecard.

 

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