The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed has condemned the raid on the official residence of a judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Peter Odili.
The highest ranking judicial officer in Nigeria made this condemnation Wednesday at the Special Session of the Supreme Court to mark the beginning of the 2021/2022 legal year and the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
Galaxy’s Godfrey Eshiemoghie reports that Justice Mohammed said the country’s judges have had enough dosage of such “embarrassments and harassments” of judicial officers across the country and so can no longer take any more.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria said no law permits anyone to invade, subdue or overawe any Nigerian citizen in his or her residence with a flimsy, “fraudulently obtained search warrant”.
He said the silence of the Judiciary should “never be mistaken for stupidity or weakness”, adding the Judiciary will begin to “resist any clandestine attempt to silence or ridicule it to oblivion”.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria spoke further:
“By the nature of our work, we are conservative but not conquered species and so should not be pushed further than this by any individual, institution or agency of the government.
“With time, those taking the judiciary as a mere weakling will soon realise that it is from the calmest seas we often experience the fiercest storms.
“The time to oppress, suppress and intimidate judicial officers is gone.
“No one, irrespective of his or her status or position in thethe country, should test our will because the consequence of such unwarranted provocation will be too dire to bear”.
Given that the raid on Justice Odili’s residence was by security operatives acting on search warrant obtained from an Abuja Magistrate’s Court, Justice Mohammed said “henceforth, every search or arrest warrant must be issued with the knowledge and approval of the Chief Judge of the respective State/Federal High Court, as the case may be”.