By JOSEPH UNDU; PASCHAL NJOKU

Fake Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Ajodo Lawrence, who led raid on Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili’s residence in Abuja, claimed on Thursday that he worked for Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

But rattled Malami refuted the claim.

This is coming as the police arrested him and 13 other suspects for complicity in the failed criminal trespass on the Abuja residence of Justice Mary Odili on Friday, October 29, 2021.

In an interview with newsmen, fake CSP Ajodo admitted that he is not an officer of the Nigeria police.

He, however, claimed to be a consultant to Abubakar Mala­mi, but insisted that the AGF did not contract him on this failed raid on Justice Odili’s house.

According to CP Frank Mba, Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, 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 Supreme Court Judge.

It would be recalled that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, on No­vember 1, 2021, affirmed that the force did not authorise 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.

Mba said 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-organised criminal gang with a web-like involvement of individuals drawing from their different competences, profes­sional background and social contacts in perfecting the crim­inal plot.

He said membership of the syndicate include suspects with background in public service, business, law, journalism, bank­ing, among others.

According to him, “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 stashed 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 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 soldiers for the failed operation.

“The fake CSP also elicited the services of a journalist, one Stanley Nkwazema and two 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 authorisation of any known security agency or Federal Government Minis­try/Department.

“Three 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.”

The police said investigation is being intensified to arrest the other seven suspects including two persons believed to be per­sonnel of the Nigeria army who were physically present during the raid, and fully dressed in army uniform.

Meanwhile, Thisday News­papers said on Thursday that one of the suspects, Stanley Nkwazema, is not its staff and contributing editor.

A statement signed by Bolaji Adebiyi, the newspaper’s Man­aging Editor (Print and Digital), read, “The attention of the management of Thisday News­papers has been drawn to the news making the rounds that Mr. Stanley Nkwazema, one of those suspected to have invad­ed the home of Justice Mary Odili claimed to be a staff and contributing editor of Thisday.

“Contrary to his claim, Mr. Nkwazema is neither a staff of Thisday nor a contributing editor. He was a sports corre­spondent and resigned more than 15 years ago.

“However, occasionally, he, like hundreds of other readers of the newspaper, sends for publication articles and anal­yses and is usually obliged, a privilege Thisday gives to some of its ex-staff. That does not in any way make him a staff and contributing editor of Thisday.

“Since his resignation, This­day had at no time contracted Mr. Nkwazema to investigate any story, and we know nothing of his alleged investigation of a story leading to the raid of the residence of Hon. Justice Odili.

“The police authorities and the general public should, there­fore, note that Mr. Nkwazema, whatever may be his involve­ment in this matter, was not acting on behalf of Thisday in any shape or form.”

AGF Malami Denies Suspect’s Confession

Meanwhile, Attorney-Gen­eral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has denied that he con­tracted any consultant or police

officer to carry out the invasion of Abuja home of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court.

Malami made the refutal in a statement by his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, on Thurs­day.

The AGF was reacting to a confession of a suspect during interrogation in the investiga­tion of the recent invasion of the residence of Justice Odili of the Supreme Court.

The AGF stated that with all the competent, high level professionals and capable hu­man resources available at his disposal, that “it only takes the imagination of the evil minds to assume or think that the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will descend so low to engaging a quack or fake police officer to serve as his consultant.

“This is a case of a drown­ing man scavenging for a dying partner. We are happy to note that investigation has commenced to unravel the cir­cumstances and personalities behind the invasion and spon­sored campaign of calumny against the Honourable Attor­ney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

“It is our desire and we hope that the investigation would also disclose those after the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, those dragging his personality, his name and his exalted office in the dirty poli­tics of disrepute.

“This is an orchestrated attempt to stir unnecessary controversies and public appre­hension”, Malami lamented.

“We asked the suspect to present documents of en­gagements where he worked as a consultant to the Attor­ney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, wheth­er in past or now.

“Consultant for what? Which activity or assignment? When was he engaged? What were the terms of references for the alleged consultancy ser­vice? When was he engaged? Where was he engaged? Which work has he executed for the Honourable Attorney-Gener­al of the Federation and the Minister of Justice? For what duration? And for how much?

“We boldly and unequivo­cally challenge the fake consul­tant/police officer to come out with answers or responses to these questions to the general public”, the AGF said.