*Mobilise Nigerians against police brutality, Falana tells association
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has constituted a nine-member ad hoc committee to handle the cases of the slain Lagos-based lawyer, Omobolanle Raheem and Gafaru Buraimoh who were allegedly killed by police officers in Lagos.
This as human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has stated that the best tribute lawyers can pay to Mrs. Raheem is to mobilise Nigerians against police brutality.
NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), who announced this yesterday through the National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Habeeb Lawal, said the panel will handle the murder and civil cases involving the two victims.
The committee is comprised of Mrs. Titilola Akinlawon (SAN) as chairperson and Mrs. Abiye Tam-George, who is the vice chairman of the Lagos Branch, as the secretary.
Members are Charles Ajiboye (National Assistant Publicity Secretary); Ikechukwu Uwanna (chairman, Lagos Branch); Seyi Olawunmi (chairman, Ikeja Branch); Olalekan Thanni (chairman, Ikorodu Branch); M.A. Sodipo (chairman, Badagry Branch); Omotayo Omosehin (chairman, Epe Branch); and Oladotun Hassan (secretary, Epe Branch).
The NBA president said the terms of reference of the committee are to continue to interface with the families of the two victims until the conclusion of the prosecution in the respective cases; to hold a watching brief in the course of the prosecutions of ASP Drambi Vandhi and the perpetrator(s) of the death of Gafaru Buraimoh and render periodic reports.
Others are to file civil suits on behalf of the families of the two victims and to obtain reasonable compensation for the respective families; to collaborate with the NBA-Human Rights Institute to develop a capacity training program for the police on respect for human rights to be implemented jointly by the NBA, the Nigerian Police Force, and the Police Service Commission; and to handle other issues incidental to ensuring justice in the cases.
“We start by acknowledging that nothing we do will ever be enough to bring back our late member, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem. We however believe that our strong and unwavering pursuit of justice, in this case, may mean that another Nigerian will not have to lose his or her life in the illegal, unlawful and unjust manner that Omobolanle’s life was taken,” Maikyau said.
Meanwhile, Falana has said the best tribute lawyers can pay to the slain Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Bolanle Raheem is to mobilise Nigerians against police brutality.
Falana said the NBA must ensure that Raheem did not die in vain like other victims of police brutality.
Raheem was recently shot dead by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi.
The deceased was returning home from a Christmas outing with her family when the shooting incident occurred at the Ajah axis of Lagos.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism, and Vandi has been charged to court and remanded in Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending legal advice.
Falana, in a legal opinion, asked the NBA to compel the federal and state governments to implement the recommendations of the #EndSARS panels to address issues of police brutality.
The human rights lawyer suggested that the use of arms by police officers in the country should be “strictly regulated.
“Nigerian lawyers must ensure that Mrs. Bolanle Raheem does not die in vain like others who were dispatched to their untimely grave before her,” Falana wrote.
“Indeed, the best tribute that the NBA can pay to the deceased is to use her cold-blooded murder to mobilise the Nigerian people to end police brutality in Nigeria.
“To start with, police checkpoints must be removed from Nigerian roads. The roads should be patrolled by combined teams of officers from the police and road safety commission.
“The use of arms by policemen on duty should be strictly regulated according to the service rules. Non-lethal options such as batons, tear gas, and water should be employed in dispersing crowds.
“The Anti-Torture Act of 2017 prescribes that any police officer or law enforcement officer who subjects a citizen to torture is liable to be tried and if convicted to imprisonment for 25 years.
“If any person dies as a result of torture the police officer indicted is liable to be tried for murder. The NBA should direct its human rights committees to take up all cases of torture meted out to citizens by public and private individuals in society.
“The NBA should prevail on the federal government and state governments to publish the reports and implement the recommendations of the judicial panels, otherwise, the NBA should adopt legal measures to compel the governments to implement the recommendations.
“Furthermore, the NBA should mount pressure on state governments to enact laws for the establishment of human rights bodies to protect the human rights of citizens.
“This was the principal resolution adopted by the National Economic Council (NEC) after the #EndSARS protests.
“As a matter of urgency, the NBA should ensure that a legal practitioner is assigned to every police station to monitor human rights compliance following section 66 (3) of the Police Establishment Act 2020.
“The human rights committees of the 128 branches of the NBA should liaise with the National Human Rights Commission and the Legal Aid Council to ensure the observance of human rights in the country.
“The NBA should collaborate with state attorneys-general towards the successful prosecution of police and military personnel who engage in the extrajudicial killing of criminal suspects and other citizens.
“At the same time, the unlawful killing of police officers by military officers and criminal gangs should always be challenged by Nigerian lawyers.
“The NBA should liaise with the police and military authorities to ensure that the human rights course is made a compulsory subject in all police colleges and military academic institutions.
“This is the best way to ensure that members of the police and armed forces recognise their constitutional responsibilities to protect the life and property of every citizen,” Falana explained.
