THISDAY Newspapers has disowned a journalist paraded alongside 13 others over the October 29 raid of the Abuja home of a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mary Odili.
Police had yesterday paraded 14 suspects arrested in connection with the incident.
Security agents comprising soldiers and police operatives had on the night of October 29 stormed the judge’s home in the Maitama area of Abuja with a search warrant over alleged illegal activities in the building.
In a statement signed by its Managing Editor, Bolaji Adebiyi, yesterday, the newspaper said the journalist, Stanley Nkwazema, was not its staff.
Nkwazema, according to the statement, resigned from the organisation 15 years ago.
It stressed that the newspaper had no hand in the invasion of the judge’s home.
The statement read: “The attention of the management of THISDAY Newspapers has been drawn to the news making the rounds that Mr. Stanley Nkwazema, one of those suspected to have invaded the home of Justice Mary Odili claimed to be a staff and Contributing Editor of THISDAY.
“Contrary to his claim, Mr. Nkwazema is neither a Staff of THISDAY nor a Contributing Editor. He was a Sports Correspondent and resigned more than 15 years ago.
“However, occasionally, he, like hundreds of other readers of the newspaper, sends for publication articles and analyses and is usually obliged, a privilege THISDAY gives to some of its ex-staff. That does not in any way make him a staff and contributing Editor of THISDAY.
“Since his resignation, THISDAY had at no time contracted Mr. Nkwazema to investigate any story, and we know nothing of his alleged investigation of a story leading to the raid of the residence of Hon. Justice Odili.”
