Ayodeji Ake
The Social Intervention Advocacy Group Foundation (SIAF), which is the convener of the #EndSARS protest, had thrown its weight behind the planned peaceful protest of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, against police brutality.
This is coming after the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), removed a Lagos Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for allegedly detaining a lawyer who was seeking justice for his client.
According to the circular making the rounds on social media, all lawyers in Lagos State were expected to join the peaceful protest against police brutality that would kick off today at the Ikeja Branch Bar Centre.
While supporting the NBA, the President of SIAF, Mr. Segun Awosanya, who is known as Segalink, noted that the lawyers have the constitutional right to stage a peaceful protest.
Awosanya said: “SIAF supports the lawyers and hope the police will adhere to their standard operation procedures to forestall a recurrence of the ugly incident.
“I believe it is within the lawyers’ rights to protest as constitutionally guaranteed. An expression of discontent is not against the law and it goes to show how unacceptable it is for the police to continue on the trajectory of impunity after what the nation had been through over the years on same matter and given the fact that the Police Act 2020 forbids unprofessionalism on the part of the police towards the citizenry.”
He, however, commended the NPF for the swift suspension of the DPO and also swinging into further investigation.
“I also need to commend the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who acted promptly on the matter by removing the DPO and subjecting him to further investigation for the abuse of power and needless high handedness leading to the detention of the legal practitioner rendering his services to his client,” he said.
