Niger Delta agitators give FG 14 days to unveil, prosecute invaders of Odili’s home

Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators has given the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to expose and prosecute the whistleblower that claimed illegal activities were going on in Justice Mary Odili’s house in Abuja.

Led by Gen. John Dukku, the group said the incident was a clear affront to people of the oil-rich Niger Delta region. It noted that the action was a ploy to intimidate, harass, humiliate and forcefully evict Odili from her position at the Supreme Court.

A statement by the coalition reads 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?

“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 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 Coalition 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 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.”