Falana challenges NBA to stop illegal arrests and detention of Nigerians

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to do more at protecting the citizens from human rights abuses.

He said the NBA should “hold governments at all levels to account for violations of human rights and stop illegal arrests and detention of Nigerians by law enforcement and security agencies.”

A statement released by Tayo Soyemi, Falana and Falana Chambers on Tuesday quoted the human rights lawyer to have said this in a paper he delivered on Monday at the induction of Fatai Adeyemi Abinjo as 37th President of the District 9110 of the Rotary Club, Ogba Lagos.

“It is indisputable that Nigeria has largely enacted laws for the enforcement of the human rights of citizens and foreigners living in Nigeria. But due to the failure of lawyers and judges to hold the government accountable, the human rights of millions of poor Nigerians including civil, political, economic and social rights are violated with almost absolute impunity.

“It is high time the Nigerian Bar Association was reorganised to take its rightful place in the human rights community. Specifically, let all the branches of the NBA liaise and collaborate with the Chief Magistrates designated to conduct monthly inspections of police detention centres in each state of the federation. The 1st Vice President of the NBA who is in charge of human rights should mount additional pressure on the Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to designate Judges to inspect the detention centres of other law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Falana’s paper read in part: “Attorneys-General who frustrate the execution of judgments or who fail to prosecute all indictable offences should be sanctioned for gross misconduct by the Nigerian Bar Association.

“The concepts of law and justice cannot have deep meaning, and even application, to the millions of our people who are merely existing at starvation level or even existing below that level. We have for long concentrated on so-called ‘Fundamental Rights’ as if these have equal meaning and application to all our people.

READ ALSO: Rights group challenges police to account for whereabouts of 500 arrested herdsmen, kidnappers

“Most of the Rights entrenched in our Constitution are nothing more than empty words to millions of our peoples who are or whose children are suffering and, in some cases, dying of malnutrition and other preventable diseases associated with the poor.

“Nigerian lawyers should get organised and reposition the Nigerian Bar Association to end illegal arrests and detention in Nigeria.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now