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Why Malami is after Justice Mary Odili – Timi Frank
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Timi Frank has opened up on the recent invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili, the second most senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria by security agents at the weekend.
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, in a statement in Abuja condemned in strong terms the illegal invasion, and demanded the resignation of the Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami over his embarrassment and selective targeting of judicial officers from the South.
He insisted that Malami must be held accountable for the current invasion and any future harm against Justice Odili, “who the hawks in the Buhari’s regime are eager to remove from office to prevent her from succeeding the incumbent CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad simply because of her geopolitical linage.
“They have a clandestine motive to remove the fearless jurist because she is the next in line to succeed the incumbent CJN. It is a strategy to remove her in time ahead of the 2023 general elections knowing full well that she cannot be bought or pocketed by the APC’s regime,” Frank declared.
READ ALSO: Raid on Justice Odili’s residence politically motivated to embarrass family – Ozekhome
He said it is curious that both Malami, EFCC and DSS have denied complicity in the recent target witch-hunt against Justice Odili, while the police whose operatives carried out the action have refused to either deny or own up to their nefarious misadventure.
Frank wondered why Malami had continued his devious mission of “selective targeting” of Southerners in the top echelon of the judiciary.
He recalled the attack against Justices and Judges in 2016, when operatives of the Department of State Services forcefully invaded and raided the residences of some Justices and judges under the cover of night.
He insisted that the manifest impunity against the justices under Malami’s watch was followed by the unceremonious removal of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen who is from the South, by the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress’ (APC) regime barely 29 days to the 2019 general elections.
He lampooned attempts by Malami to sweep the recent violation of Justice Odili’s house under the carpet by saying he has ordered a probe into the sickening and anti-democratic action of security operatives against a respected Justice of the Supreme Court.
Recall that Justices whose houses were raided by the DSS and EFCC in search of phantom incriminating evidence in 2016 include Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro of the Supreme Court and Adeniyi Ademola, and Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Others include a judge of the Kano High Court, Kabiru Auta, Chief Judge of Enugu State, A. I. Umezulike and Gombe State judge, Muazu Pindiga.
READ ALSO: Justice Odili: Malami insists on investigation, including magistrate
The residences of Justice Samia of the Sokoto state High Court and Justice Mohammed Liman in Port Harcourt were also raided.
He called on the International Community to restrain Malami from attending or participating in any international fora on judiciary and legal matters over his attempt to subjugate and ultimately destroy the Nigerian judiciary.
He also called on the Secretary of Justice of the United States and the U.S. Government to place a visa ban on Malami over his continuous attacks against judicial officers and judiciary in Nigeria in order to pacify, weaken and escalate them ahead of APC’s planned rigging of the 2023 general elections.