PANDEF Flays Raid on Justice Odili’s Residence

*Describes action as crude, barbaric, dictatorial

Deji Elumoye

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has flayed the raid on the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Odili, Friday evening.

The group in a release on Saturday by its spokesman, Hon Ken Robinson, said the raid, was not only crude and primitive but barbaric and dictatorial.

PANDEF submitted that the raid was another attempt by agents of the Buhari administration to further intimidate and humiliate the Nation’s Judiciary.

It said: “And this is one of such actions too many, against persons of Southern Extraction, particularly, persons from the South-South geopolitical Zone.

“PANDEF recalls that it was in the same nefarious manner that the Abuja residence of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, was invaded in January 2019, which was considered by many as part of political machinations, leading to the 2019 General Elections. Justice Walter Onnoghen was later suspended, made to face a “kangaroo” trial over trumped-up charges, and was forced to retire.

“Earlier, in 2016, the DSS or SSS, in a Gestapo manner, raided the homes of John Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta, who is now deceased, alongside the residences of Adeniyi Ademola, and Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Abuja”.

PANDEF, therefore, called on all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians to rise in unison and condemn these atrocious actions against citizens by the federal government and its agents.

It also called on the International Community, especially the United Kingdom and the United States, not to remain indifferent to the oppressive actions of the Nigerian government against its citizens.

The group further stated: Nigeria is not an “Animal Kingdom” and we cannot afford to let it plummet to that state; the ramifications would be catastrophic for the entire world.

“PANDEF, therefore, implores President Muhammadu Buhari to stop actions that are capable of thwarting the Nation’s democracy, for prosaic and political intentions. Those who ordered and carried out the scatological invasion of the home of Justice Mary Odili must be identified and punished appropriately. Enough of this nonsense! “

The group stated emphatically that the federal government should apologise publicly to the nation’s Judiciary and Justice Odili.