Justice Odili’s home at No 7, Imo River Road, was, on October 29, 2021, invaded by some persons who claimed to be security agents.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Two of 15 alleged invaders of the home of ex-Supreme Court judge, Justice Mary Odili, were among inmates who absconded from the Kuje Correctional Centre during the July 5 jailbreak, The Niche has learnt.
Usman Jibrin, counsel to the 6th, 13th and 14th defendants told Justice Nkeonye Maha in the last adjourned date.
At the resumed hearing on July 19, Aliyu Umar Ibrahim, Shehu Jibo and Abdullahi Adamu who are 6th, 13th and 14th defendants respectively in a suit filed by the police against the 15 suspected invaders of Odili’s home were not in court.
Jibrin informed the court that the three were victims of the jailbreak, and Justice Maha ordered the prosecution to investigate the matter and report back on Wednesday, November 16.
When the matter was called on Wednesday, prosecution lawyer, Mathew Omosun, stated that the correctional service said only Jibo and Adamu (13th and 14th defendants) were at large.
But Jibrin, who also appeared for Ibrahim (6th defendant), expressed concern that his client was not in court despite the response of the correctional service that he was not at large.
He prayed the court to order the prison authorities to produce Ibrahim in the next adjourned date.
Omosun, however, applied that the three defendants could be tried in absentia in accordance with Section 521 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
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The judge then asked the prosecution if the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had been informed about the development and if a team of detectives had been set up to get them rearrested.
Justice Maha, who adjourned the matter until February 16 for trial continuation, ordered the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) to produce Ibrahim (6th defendant) in court in the next adjourned date.
Justice Odili’s home at No 7, Imo River Road, was, on October 29, 2021, invaded by some persons who claimed to be security agents on allegations that the judge was keeping a large sum of money in foreign currencies.
The suspects were arrested and arraigned on an 18-count charge in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CR/436/2021 which bordered on alleged conspiracy to commit felony and forgery of court documents.
They include two lawyers, Alex Onyekuru and Igwe Ernest, a policeman ASP Mohammed Yahaya, and Maimuna Maishanu, the only female among them.
Others are: Adjodo F. Lawrence (aka Ola Ojo); Micheal Diete-Spiff; Bayero Lawal (aka Director of EFCC); Aliyu Umar Ibrahim; Ayodele Akindipe (aka Herbalist); Yusuf Adamu (aka Godson to Peter Odili); Bashir Musa; Stanley Nkwazema; Shehu Jibo; Abdulahi Adamu; Mohammed Yahaya and Abdulahi Usman.
On January 17, a prosecution witness, ASP Madaki Chidawa, who is attached to retired Justice Odili’s home, testified how the invasion was foiled.
Chidawa, who said he had been a policeman for the past 29 years, 15 of which he had spent with the judge, said he knew the defendants when they came to the residence on October 29, 2021, claiming to possess a warrant to search the house.
Justice Odili retired from active judicial service on May 12 after clocking 70.