Contrary to reports in a section of the media, former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has said that the police searched her family house, not her brother’s, and described the search which occurred late on Wednesday, January 4, 2016 as an embarrassment to her person.
Dame Jonathan, who spoke through her lawyer, Charles Ogboli, claimed that nothing incriminating, only cheque books, including one from Diamond Bank, were found in the premises and not the money that they sought.
According to the legal practitioner, the police claimed they were forced to search the premises as a result of the security man’s attitude, even as the former first lady decried the embarrassing situation where the building was searched in the absence of the occupant.
“EFCC came last year and conducted a search in the absence of the occupant of the house. The NDLEA also searched the same building. This also happened last year between November or thereabouts. It is an embarrassment,” Mrs. Jonathan said.
“I don’t know what they are actually looking for. Why are they searching a premise in the absence of the occupant? It appears there is something they want to do there.”
Going further, she added: “Today, it is not EFCC, but in the past, from November 2016, EFCC raided the place. It is a family house meant for the brothers and sisters; the siblings. It is a family house of the former first lady in Maitama, Abuja.
“EFCC raided the place last year. Thereafter, NDLEA raided the place and throughout their raid, they found nothing incriminating. Today, I got information that there were several policemen numbering about 20 to 28 of them.”
Ogboli said: “So, when I got there, I demanded to see the leader of the team and I was directed to an assistant commissioner of police, who was in mufti and known as Williams. I asked him which of the command are you from and he said they were from IG’s Special Unit. Somebody also in mufti intervened and said they are from the AGF, Attorney General’s office.”
