The brazen violation of the fundamental rights of
Nigerians by men of the Nigerian Police Force has taken a
frightening turn with the arrest and detention of lawyers who
accompanied Senator Dino Melaye to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad
(SARS) office Guzape, Abuja to write his statement in respect of an
allegation made against him.
This appears to be part of series of acts designed by the police
to harass and intimidate lawyers in the lawful exercise of their
duties to their clients which started in Onitsha moved to Lagos and
now Abuja.
The incessant harrassment of lawyers by law enforcement agents
in the course of rendering service to their clients, bodes ill for
the society. This has indeed become a major threat to the legal
profession. The legal practitioners must be able to represent their
clients without any form of intimidation by law enforcement
agents.
We will not be cowed. A lawyer engaged to represent his/her
client is working in his line of duty and should be able to execute
his duty without any form of intimidation, threat, harassment, fear
and or victimization.
The arrest and detention of David Amafuela and Pius Udo-Inyang
by the police is highly condemnable. It is an affront to democracy
and rule of law. Their subsequent arraignment and remand in prison
to an order of court does not detract from the arbitrariness of the
Police actions.
If such unlawful actions by the security agencies continue
unchecked, fundamental rights of people may not amount to much in
such a climate of impunity.
I deprecate this unsavory conduct . It must stop. These lawyers
must be released forthwith and the charges against them dropped. We
must rise up to ensure this recklessness stops. Enough is
enough.
The brazen violation of the fundamental rights of
Nigerians by men of the Nigerian Police Force has taken a
frightening turn with the arrest and detention of lawyers who
accompanied Senator Dino Melaye to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad
(SARS) office Guzape, Abuja to write his statement in respect of an
allegation made against him.
This appears to be part of series of acts designed by the police
to harass and intimidate lawyers in the lawful exercise of their
duties to their clients which started in Onitsha moved to Lagos and
now Abuja.
The incessant harrassment of lawyers by law enforcement agents
in the course of rendering service to their clients, bodes ill for
the society. This has indeed become a major threat to the legal
profession. The legal practitioners must be able to represent their
clients without any form of intimidation by law enforcement
agents.
We will not be cowed. A lawyer engaged to represent his/her
client is working in his line of duty and should be able to execute
his duty without any form of intimidation, threat, harassment, fear
and or victimization.
The arrest and detention of David Amafuela and Pius Udo-Inyang
by the police is highly condemnable. It is an affront to democracy
and rule of law. Their subsequent arraignment and remand in prison
to an order of court does not detract from the arbitrariness of the
Police actions.
If such unlawful actions by the security agencies continue
unchecked, fundamental rights of people may not amount to much in
such a climate of impunity.
I deprecate this unsavory conduct . It must stop. These lawyers
must be released forthwith and the charges against them dropped. We
must rise up to ensure this recklessness stops. Enough is
enough.