November 12, 2021

The arrest and parade of 14 persons said to have been arrested in connection with the siege to Justice Mary Odili’s apartment in Abuja, on October 29 by the police said on Thursday has not gone down well with some Nigerians, who insist that there is a big masquerade behind the gang.

Ten persons including two military personnel were said to be at large and the police said they would soon be rounded up.

Since the arrest and parade of the 14 suspects and going by the claims of some of the suspects, some Nigerians have enjoined the police not to cover up any person involved in what some termed ‘a movie’, directly or indirectly, with the case. They claim there is a big masquerade beating the drum for the suspects.

Mrs May Obikwelu, a chartered Arbitrator, thanked the police but told our reporter that the police should go beyond the primary layer of 14 suspects plus seven on the run and uncover the big face behind this “despicable criminal act”.

“In all my years as an arbitrator and mediator, I have never seen such crude behavior of a gang which can at best be said to be dancing to a tune. The police should unveil the person(s) playing the tune,” she said.

Appearing on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, Friday morning, Isaac Anumudu, a lawyer and public policy analyst, insisted that the case is too much of a criminal matter to be treated lightly. He called on the police to expose the big masquerade behind the invasion.

Anumudu said it was very unlikely that the fake police officer who led the failed operation, CSP Lawrence Ajodo, would have acted on his own given his boldness and the elaborateness of the operation.

He insisted that there must be someone somewhere who prompted the operation.

Some of the suspects include the fake Chief Superintendent of Police, Lawrence Ajodo who displayed so much boldness unbecoming of a suspect; a journalist who claimed to be a contributing editor with Thisday newspaper, Stanley Nkwazema. Thisday management has disowned the said journalist, explaining that he once worked for the newspaper but had since left the employ of the media house; and an Islamic scholar.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects in Abuja explained that their arrest followed a swift investigation by the police.

At least ten more persons linked with the incident including two military personnel are at large, the police spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, has vowed to diligently prosecute the paraded suspects.

In a statement signed by spokesperson Mba, the police said it had recovered three vehicles and a laptop computer, printer and flash drive used for the production of fake identity cards from the suspects.

The Statement inter alia:

“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 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. Recall that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc, on 1st November, 2021, affirmed that the Force did not authorize security operatives to carry out any assignment in or around the residence of Justice Mary Odili and directed the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to carry out a discrete investigation with the aim of bringing the perpetrators to book.

“The suspects; Ajodo Lawrence ‘m’ (principal suspect), Michael Diete-Spiff ‘m’, Bar. Alex Onyekuru ‘m’, Bayero Lawal ‘m’, Bar. Igwe Ernest ‘m’, Aliyu Umar Ibrahim ‘m’, Maimuna Maishanu ‘f’, Ayodele Akindipe ‘m’, Yusuf Adamu ‘m’, Bashir Musa ‘m’, ASP Mohammed Yahaya ‘m’, Stanley Nkwazema ‘m’, Shehu Jibo ‘m’ and Abdullahi Adamu ‘m’, L/CPL Mike (other name unknown) ‘m’, are members of a well-organized criminal gang with a web-like involvement of individuals drawing from their different competences, professional background and social contacts in perfecting the criminal plot. Membership of the syndicate include suspects with background in public service, business, law, journalism, banking, amongst others.

“The facts of the case from Police Investigations have it that one Aliyu Umar Ibrahim, an acclaimed whistleblower, following a baseless and unverified information he got from one Yusuf Adamu – parading himself as the godson of Chief Peter Odili – that there is a huge sum of money in foreign currencies starched in the residence of Her Lordship, Justice Mary Odili located at No. 7, Imo River Street, Maitama, initiated processes aimed at illegally recovering the said money. Consequently, the syndicate contacted one Bashir Musa, a clerical staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who in turn sought the assistance of two (2) others – Shehu Jibo and Abdullahi Adamu.

“The whistleblower was later introduced to one Bayero Lawal who falsely presented himself as a Director in EFCC. He took the whistleblower to one Hajiya Maimuna Maishanu who in turn took them to her cousin, Michael Diete-Spiff, who claimed to be the Director of Foreign Currency Operation of Ghost’s Account for Local Whistle Blowers & Assets Recovery Panel, purportedly operating under the Federal Ministry of Justice – an agency that in fact does not exist. Diete-Spiff later introduced the whistleblower to one Lawrence Ajodo with the aid of one Godwin (currently at large). From this moment, Lawrence Ajodo – who falsely claimed to be a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and also the officer-in-charge of a non-existing Asset Recovery Panel at the Federal Ministry of Justice took over the planning and execution of the illicit operation. Through the assistance of one Ayodele Akindipe, an herbalist, the fake CSP procured the services of an Assistant Superintendent of Police and two (2) Soldiers for the failed operation. The fake CSP also elicited the services of a journalist, one Stanley Nkwazema and two (2) lawyers namely Bar. Alex Onyekuru and Bar. Igwe Ernest. While the journalist was expected to play the blackmail role, the lawyers were expected to help the syndicate in perfecting court documents and processes. The fake CSP later deposed to an affidavit and eventually obtained a search warrant meant for the execution of the raid.

“Investigations so far conducted by the Police show that the suspects criminally trespassed on the residence of Her Lordship but were not allowed to execute the search warrant due to the lawful resistance from Police officers on guard duty at her residence. Police findings also revealed that the principal suspect – Lawrence Ajodo – is an impostor and not a police officer as he falsely claimed. Similarly, the Ghost’s Account for Local Whistle Blowers & Assets Tax Recovery Panel purportedly operating under the Federal Ministry of Justice does not exist at the Federal Ministry of Justice neither is it registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Also, the signature of the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) on the ID card presented by the fake CSP during the raid was forged. The Search Warrant which the suspects procured from a Magistrate Court for purposes of searching the premises of Justice Odili, was also obtained under false representation. The entire criminal operation has no authorization of any known Security Agency or Federal Government Ministry/Department.

 “Three (3) vehicles used by the suspects for the illegal invasion and a laptop computer, printer and flash drive used for the production of the fake ID cards were recovered from the suspects by the Police investigators.

“Meanwhile, investigation is being intensified to arrest the other seven (7) suspects including two (2) persons believed to be personnel of the Nigeria Army who were physically present during the raid, and fully dressed in Army uniform.

“The IGP, while assuring diligent prosecution of the suspects, reiterated the commitment of the Force to continue to advance the rule of law and combatting all forms of crimes and criminality in the country.”