Madaki Chidawa, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday how he stopped an illegal search of Supreme Court Justice Mary Peter Odili’s Abuja residence on October 29 last year.
He testified in the trial of 15 people, including a housewife, accused of committing the illegal act at the Supreme Court Justice’s official residence at No. 7, Imo Rivers Street, Maitama.
At the trial, which was presided over by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, ASP Chidawa stated that the 15 defendants, led by a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Lawrence Ajodo, stormed the house in a fearful manner around 6 p.m. on October 29.
On arrival, 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 addressed to No 9, Imo Crescent, Abuja.
ASP Chidawa explained that he used the wrong address on the search warrant to resist the execution of the warrant since the house of Justice Mary Peter Odili is 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 realising 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.
Meanwhile, further trial has been adjourned to March 1, 2022 by Justice Maha.