CJN Onnoghen Trial: I was told to raise alarm EFCC invaded Onnoghen’s house – Odumakin
The National Publicity of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, on Wednesday gave reasons why he alerted Nigerians on the alleged invasion of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen’s house, by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a statement titled ‘On The Security Cordon Around CJN House: EFCC Denial and Fake Allegations’, Odumakin who said he has never spread untruth to the public said the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders forum after it’s meeting in Abuja on Tuesday was told by an informant that EFCC officials had invaded the residence of the CJN.
He said he was mandated by the leadership of the forum to alert President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians on the alleged invasion, Daily Independent reports.
The statement reads:
A meeting of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders held in Abuja on Tuesday which drew leaders from the four zones that made up the group. As the meeting came to a close, an informant came in to alert us that there was a security cordon around the CJN, Mr Walter Onoghen’s residence which he claimed were EFCC men.
The leaders reviewed the information against the Gestapo-like invasion of the National Assembly months back by DSS operatives without the knowledge of the then Acting President for which nobody was called to question beyond easing out the DG DSS.
It was in the same pattern that the residences of the Senate President and his Deputy were illegally sealed by the police sometimes ago just as the police just ended a six-day siege on the residence of Senator Dino Melaye.
The Leaders then resolved I should alert the public on the alarm that came to us upon which I recalled the media crew that just took our communique to release to them the information at our disposal that there was a cordon around the CJN residence which our source said were EFCC men and that the President should ask them to back off in order not to overheat the polity since the matter was already in court.
It was late last night when I returned to Lagos that I saw the EFCC statement by one Tony Oriilade laced with many FAKE allegations :
1 That I said they raided the home of the CJN.I challenge the EFCC to bring out where I said such .
2 That I said they arrested the CJN.I equally want them to substantiate that unfounded claim
3 That I circulated a “non-existent “(synctactic illiteracy ) which went viral.I want them to produce the “non-existent” video.Even the video of my address was posted online by another party .
I however note the denial by the EFCC that they were not the security agency our source indicated threw the cordon .Only that is regretted if our source had a mistaken identity of the people he saw.
If the denial is true,it raises more fear about the indiscriminate manner security agencies are deployed in a democratic setting .The country needs to know the agency that threw the cordon that led to the panic which came to us yesterday before we get to the point that criminals and bandits would begin to invade people’s homes posing to be security agencies .
Not necessarily for the jejune ,puerile and and LIBELOUS tenses of Orilade but for the general public I say:I have interfaced with the public in the media in the last 33 years and have never pushed untruth to the public once and will never do.