It is a sad reality that the brutalization of lawyers is becoming very rampant in Nigeria, and Nigerian lawyers are fast becoming endangered species. Nigeria has endured and continues to endure the recurrent loss of lawyers, magistrates, and judges due to extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, harassment, and molestations despite their dedicated efforts to fulfill their duties. A society that respects and upholds its legal system not only sustains its stability but earns higher ratings in democratic governance evaluation. The core components of democracy are inherently legal, emphasizing the nexus and dependency of democracy to a significant extent on the legal framework. Put differently, democracy is largely hinged on the rule of law. It is trite that the law recognizes the pivotal role lawyers play in upholding democracy. Lawyers maintain, observe the rule of law, promote, and foster the cause of justice.
It is no news that police brutality ranks high among the leading causes of death in several parts of the world especially Nigeria. The rising trend of harassment of lawyers by the Nigeria Police Force poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy. The attack against lawyers ranges from terrorist attacks, arrests, office closure, petitions, threats of disbarment or contempt proceedings, and even death. Endangered areas of law include environmental law, child defilement, fundamental human rights, land law, and politically related cases. The most endangered states for lawyers are Kano, Edo State, and River State. Most of the identified stakeholders or channels of threat are security agencies, colleagues, clients, judges, and political office holders. There have been multiple reports of lawyers being victims of attack, harassment, and assault initiated by their fellow learned brothers. The execution of lawlessness against legal practitioners is often through the police, civil defence, armed vigilantes, and government agencies.
On 1st day of April 2023, it was reported that three legal practitioners namely, Jerry Aondo, Dr Sobere Nelson, and Odum Eyiha who are attached to Tuduru Ede’s Chamber, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, were putting together their Election Petition in a hotel in Port Harcourt, Rivers State when they were arrested by the Nigeria Police Force. The legal practitioners who are representing Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the outcome of the March 18, 2023, gubernatorial elections were held at NPF Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Ogunabali, Port Harcourt.30 Similarly, a lawyer in Nigeria after securing bail for his client at the Federal High Court was whisked away by men of the EFCC at the Federal High Court premises in Uyo31. Also, Mr. Douglas Ogbuankua alleged that he was brutalized by men of the State Security Service when he followed his client to the police station for bail processing.
The assassination of Barnabas and Abigail Igwe, legal practitioners in Onitsha was reported in 2002. However the course of their death is still unknown but prior to their murder, it was believed that had received direct threats from senior officials in the Anambra state government, face to face and through telephone calls on personal mobile phones. The lawyers had condemned the state government’s failure to pay the salaries of government workers for several months and had given the government a 21-day ultimatum to pay the salary arrears or resign.
The death of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, who was murdered in his house at Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State on the 23rd day of December 2001 is a classic example that lawyers are all endangered in Nigeria. Furthermore, on 21 November 2022, a member of the NBA Ahoada Branch, Mr. Nathan Akatakpo, was killed by unidentified assailants in front of his house in Ogbo community, Ahoada East Local Government Area, Rivers State. Also, it was reported that the client he was defending was murdered a day earlier, which clearly shows that Mr. Akatakpo was murdered for defending the rights of his client in court.
Other lawyers who have been murdered in the course of their duty line include Eguno Dafiaghor and Samuel Ekuwangi who were killed in Delta State in March 2014 on their way to court for a ruling by unknown gunmen who were dressed in mobile police uniform34. Adeola Adebayo in Ikole-Ekiti in 2018, Emeka Agundu in Enugu in 2018, Frank Okwuachi in Otuocha near Onitsha in 2021, Kenechukwu Okeke in Nkpor, Anambra State in November 2021, Ndionyenma Nwankwo in 2021 and Stephen Eke in Karu on 18 November 2022. We also recall the abduction of President, Customary Court of Appeal of Imo State, Justice Ambrose Egu, together with Senior Magistrate Pauline Njemanze in 2010; the abduction of Justice Chioma Iheme-Nwosu, JCA in Benin City and several other lawyers, magistrates, and judges who have been abducted, harassed, molested and/or killed in the line of duty.
[…]
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/endangered-lawyers-nigeria-experience-xhnkf/
