The President of the Nigerian Bar
Association, Paul Usoro, SAN
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN,
is calling on the Federal Government to boast security in the
Nation, following the continuous kidnap of the Secretary of NBA
Ikole-Ekiti branch, Adeola Adebayo by kidnappers despite paying
ransom.
The President in a press release sympathized with the family of
Adeola, while assuring them of their prayers asking God to touch
the souls and conscience of the abductors.
He also commended the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode
Fayemi, and the Attorney General of the State, Olawale Fapobunda,
for their efforts to see the kidnapped Secretary is released by his
abductor.
See Statement:
KIDNAP OF ADEOLA ADEBAYO, NBA IKOLE-EKITI BRANCH
SECRETARY
1. Our Ikole-Ekiti Branch Secretary, Adeola Adebayo, was
kidnapped on Saturday, 17 November 2018 at Erio, a small town in
Ekiti State and today, he spends his eighth day in captivity even
though a ransom amount was paid to his captors for his release last
Thursday, 22 November 2018.
Adeola was driving from Osogbo with his wife and parents
where they attended a social event when he was stopped and
kidnapped.
2. One can only imagine the trauma that the Adebayos –
Adeola’s parents, wife, and young children are undergoing. Our
hearts go out to them even as we ceaselessly pray for the immediate
release of Adeola from captivity.
Meanwhile, we must commend His Excellency, Dr. Kayode
Fayemi, the Ekiti State Government for his commitment to the
immediate release of Adeola. We have been in touch with His
Excellency as well as with the Attorney-General and Commissioner
for Justice of Ekiti State, Wale Fapohunda and they give us
confidence in this regard. We can only urge them not to relent in
their efforts to secure the immediate release of Adeola.
3. As for the criminals who have kept Adeola in captivity
these eight days, we will not stop praying that God touches their
souls and consciences – or more correctly, the residue, if any, of
their souls and consciences–sufficient for them to release Adeola
to us, more so as the ransom amount has been paid. We press on them
to please conjure for a moment the pitiable state of the Adebayos,
the terrible distress and trauma that they are all undergoing right
now, particularly, Adeola’s wife, kids, mother and father. If not
for any other reason, we pray them, in the Name of God, to have
some consideration for Adeola’s innocent and very young children
and release their father to them forthwith.
4. This unfortunate incident again brings to the fore the
state of insecurity and frequency of violent crime in our society.
Lawyers appear to be under siege. Between September 2018 and now,
we have experienced three reported incidents of violent crime – the
murder of our ObolloAfor Branch Chairman, Emeka Agundu, the kidnap
of our Auchi Branch Past Chairman, A AAtemoagbo and the attendant
assassination of his wife, Joan, and now, the kidnap of Adeola
Adebayo. These three incidents illustrate the abysmal state of
security in our land and the pervasive and countrywide nature of
these incidents.
5. Governments, through our law enforcement and security
agencies, needs to seriously crackdown on these criminals in our
midst. It must not be said or even considered that our law
enforcement and security agencies are helpless in the face of these
assault by a few criminal elements. We know that the national
election season is upon us and there is the tendency for
Governments at all levels, in these periods, to have a tunnel-view
focus and deployment of resources primarily for their success at
the polls.
They must however resist that urge and remember that a safe
environment makes for peaceful, free and fair elections; they must
also remember that the primary reason for the election of
governments into power is to secure the lives and property of the
Nigerian people and provide an enabling environment for their
socio-economic welfare. They must therefore focus on rounding up
and bringing to book these criminals who make our lives so unsafe
and hellish.
6. In particular, the intelligence gathering capabilities of
our security and law enforcement agencies must constantly be
enhanced; the agencies need to be well kitted and retooled, with
superior weapons and ammunition with which they can combat these
hoodlums; there is, furthermore, the urgent need for pervasive
deployment of technology including the installation of CCTVs in all
the nooks and crannies of our country for preventive crime
detection.
These suggestions are not exhaustive neither are they novel
or out of the ordinary; we of the NBA as well as other well-meaning
persons and associations have proffered these and other suggestions
to Governments and their agencies on the issue of combating crime.
Perhaps, what remains is the political will by our various
governments to do execute these suggestions and do something about
the crime virus that threatens our safety and lives. If there are
challenges that are not known to the rest of us, Government needs
to be forthcoming and open in discussing them with the citizenry
and finding solutions thereto.
7. The time to act is now before the impression fully gains
ground that a small band of bandits and hoodlums have the
capability to overrun the State and its security and
law-enforcement apparatus as it relates to the safety of our lives
and property. That is an impression that this Government and indeed
no government can ill afford.
Paul Usoro, SAN
NBA President
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