Rep urges judicial officers to exercise caution in issuing ex-parte orders

Rep. Onofiok Luke, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary, has urged judicial officers to exercise more caution in issuing ex-parte, conflicting and questionable orders.

Luke said this in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja, in the wake of a search warrant allegedly obtained to search the residence of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court on Oct. 29.

It would be recalled that the residence of Justice Odili of the Supreme Court, was invaded by law enforcement agents, purportedly on an assignment to execute a search warrant, issued by a Magistrate.

Luke said that as a committee currently interfacing with the judiciary on improved reforms of the judicial and justice system, “we wish to lend our voice to the repeated call by Justice Tanko Muhammed, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on all judicial officers to exercise more caution in issuing ex-parte order,” he said.

He added that issuing conflicting and questionable orders were capable of bringing disrepute to the country’s justice system, pointing out that the invasion of justice Odili’s residence was a repudiation of judicial independence and an assault on the sanctity on the nation’s judiciary.

The development also constituted a wake-up call to tighten administrative and supervisory control over the operations of law enforcement agencies in the country, he said.

The House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary has called for a discreet investigation to unravel the persons behind the ignoble act, Luke said, adding that the invasion was capable of straining the existing relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive arms of government.

“As we already know, the judiciary harps on due process in the 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”.