An Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Madaki Chidawa, on Monday, in Abuja gave a graphic detail of what transpired in the aborted unlawful search of the Abuja residence of the Supreme Court Justice, Mary Peter Odili on October 29 last year.
The case came up today at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He gave evidence in the trial of 15 persons, including a housewife, accused of perpetrating the unlawful act at No, 7, Imo Rivers Street, Maitama, the official residence of Justice Odilli.
ASP Chidawa told Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha that the 15 defendants led by a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Lawrence Ajodo, stormed the house in commando-like around 6 pm of October 29.
The witness said that the defendants vehemently demanded to execute a search warrant on the house as a team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Assets Recovery Panel attached to the Federal Ministry of Justice.
He told the court that he demanded for the search warrant and upon going through, he discovered the search warrant signed by a Chief Magistrate was wrongly addressed to No 9, Imo Crescent, Abuja.
ASP Chidawa explained that he capitalized on the wrong address to resist the execution of the warrant since Justice Mary Peter Odili’s house is not on No 7, Imo Rivers Street.
The witness further informed the court that he subsequently ran to Justice Mary Odili, who promptly made some phone calls that eventually nailed and aborted the unlawful mission of the defendants.
He said that upon realizing that the mission had been aborted, CSP Lawrence Ajodo, who allegedly paraded a suspicious identity card of the Federal Ministry of Justice, then threatened to deal with him when they come back with reinforcement but that the defendants never returned.
Further trial has been adjourned to March 1, 2022, by Justice Maha.