An Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP Madaki Chidawa, has disclosed how he used the wrong address on the search warrant to resist the execution of search of the Abuja residence of the Supreme Court Justice, Mary Peter Odili on October 29, 2021.
Madaki made this known in Abuja on Monday while narrating to the Federal High Court how he aborted the unlawful search while giving evidence in the trial of 15 persons, including a housewife, accused of perpetrating the unlawful act at No, 7, Imo Rivers Street, Maitama official residence of the apex court Justice.
The Inspector-General of Police, through ASP Chidawa, had told Justice Nkeonye Maha that the 15 defendants led by a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Lawrence Ajodo, stormed the house in a fearful manner around 6pm of October 29.
“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.
“I demanded for the search warrant and upon going through, I discovered the search warrant signed by a Chief Magistrate was addressed to No 9, Imo Crescent, Abuja.
“I 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 said.
“I then ran to Justice Mary Odili, who promptly made some phone calls that eventually nailed and aborted the unlawful mission of the defendants,” informed the court.
According to the witness, 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.
The trial has been adjourned to March 1, 2022 by Justice Maha for further hearing.
