The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Benin branch (Lion Bar), has
called on the Edo State government to declare a state of emergency
on security following the resurgence of kidnappings in the
state.
Members of the NBA in a statement Thursday by the association’s
Chairman, Mr Collins Ogiebaen and his Secretary, Mr Pius Oiwoh, and
made available to newsmen in Benin, the state capital, said the
call became necessary due to the rising wave of insecurity across
the state.
The statement said no fewer than eight lawyers and judges have
been abducted across the state within the last nine months.
The most recent was the abduction on Wednesday of an Appeal
Court judge, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme and the killing of her
police security detail.
They vowed to shutdown all courts proceedings in the state
should the law enforcement agencies fail to secure the release of
Jusitce Nwosu-Iheme soonest.
Ogiebaen, who condemned the worsening security situation in the
state, said armed bandits and kidnappers have laid siege in the
entire state.
He called on the government, particularly in Edo, to as a matter
of urgency, to overhaul its security architecture.