Senior lawyers condemn attack on Justice Odili

Senior lawyers including the former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dele Adesina (SAN), have condemned the protest by some people at the Abuja residence of a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mary Odili, saying it was an attack on the independence of the judiciary. Some protesters, reacting to the apex court’s judgement on […]

Senior lawyers including the former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dele Adesina (SAN), have condemned the protest by some people at the Abuja residence of a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mary Odili, saying it was an attack on the independence of the judiciary.

Some protesters, reacting to the apex court’s judgement on the pre-election suit on Bayelsa governorship, had marched on the private residence of Justice Odili.

Adesina said: “It is saddening and embarrassing to hear the allegation of an attack on the Abuja residence of Hon. Justice Mary Odili JSC as part of the reported fallout of the Supreme Court decision in the Bayelsa State pre-election matter.

“This unprecedented act must be condemned in all material particular; it will be a sad day for the administration of justice in Nigeria when a judge or a counsel can be intimidated and or blackmailed by vested interests as to pre-judging a suit or what manner of application to file in a suit.

“I consider the attack on the residence of his Lordship Hon. Justice Mary Odili JSC as a calculated attempt to harass, intimidate and blackmail not just the person of Hon. Justice Odili JSC, but also the Supreme Court and the entire institution of the Judiciary in Nigeria.”

Also, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said it is sickening and outrageous that Justice Mary Peter Odili’s residence was singled out and attacked by hired political hoodlums, miscreants and thugs, just for merely carrying out her judicial functions of heading a five-member panel that delivered the judgement sacking the Governor-elect of Bayelsa State.

According to Ozekhome, Justice Mary Peter-Odili did not even write or deliver the lead judgement. “The lead judgement was written and delivered by the Honourable Justice Ejembi Eko, JSC. More significant is the fact that the entire judgement was a unanimous decision and pronouncement made by the entire five members of the Supreme Court panel that heard the matter.

“What this simply boils down to is that once a judgement is given and the political party that is negatively affected does not like it, then members of that political party can take the laws into their hands, go to the houses of the judges or justices that delivered the judgement and attack them,” Ozekhome said.

On his part, leading human rights activist, Femi Falana SAN, called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the attack.