By Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary has condemned the Siege at Justice Peter-Odili’s Residence, adding that it is a repudiation of Judicial Independence and an assault on the Sanctity on the Nation’s Judiciary.
To this end, the Committee has called for a discreet investigation to unravel the persons behind the act, which he said is capable of straining the existing relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive arms of government.
Speaking in a statement, the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Onofiok Luke said that “It is mind boggling that in the dusk of 29 October 2021, the Judiciary was once again exposed to public opprobrium, due to the uncanny manner in which the residence of the Honourable Justice Mary Peter-Odili of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, was invaded by law enforcement officials purportedly on an assignment to execute a search warrant, issued by a Magistrate.
According to him, disturbing is the fact that the said warrant was revoked by the issuing Magistrate who had discovered that it was procured by the Applicant on the premises of misrepresented facts.
He said his Committee which is currently interfacing with the Judiciary for an improved judicial reform and justice system, the committee wished to lend its voice once again, to the repeated call by Honourable Justice Tanko Muhammed CJN, on all Judicial Officers on the need to exercise more caution in issuing ex-parte, conflicting and questionable orders that are capable of bringing disrepute to nations Justice system.
“This unfortunate development is also a wake-up call to tighten administrative and supervisory control over the operations of law enforcement agencies in the Country.
“To this end, we empathize with the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation who is constitutionally accountable for the actions and inactions of the law enforcement agents that purportedly executed the said warrant, placing on the AGF, the unavoidable burden of defending his office before the populace.
” The siege, is reminiscent of the 2016 incident, where in the beat of the night, security agencies invaded private residences of judicial officers, which subsequently turned out as an underserved phenomenon, and a dent on our professed independence of the judiciary, and demanding protection for our judges.
“As we already know, the judiciary harps on due process in dispensation of justice and the House Committee on the Judiciary avows to collaborate with the judiciary and relevant stakeholders to secure the nation’s democracy, since the confidence and respect of citizens in the judiciary may likely wane if incidence of this nature continues unchecked,” he added.
He therefore pledge the committees effort at ensuring the sanctity of the nation’s judiciary while giving continuous support to the independence of the judiciary.
