Kidnapping in Nigeria is not new and has never really been a breaking news until early 2006 when kidnapping for ransom became a multi-million naira business enterprise which saw the kidnaping of prominent Nigerians and business moguls. Port Harcourt became a hotbed for kidnapping when on January 11th 2006, what appeared to be the first reported case of abduction of expatriates took place when four foreign oil workers working for the Shell Petroleum Development Company were kidnapped by militants in Port Harcourt. This was quickly followed by the abduction of expatriates working in other oil companies and spread to include wealthy oil magnates like the abduction of the father of late (High) Chief O.B. Lulu Briggs, the wife of late (Chief) Humphrey Idisi and the father of Chief Adawari- McPepple between 2009 and 2010.
For the wrong reasons, Rivers State is back in the news when in the early hours of the 17th of April, 2023 a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and a former Attorney General of Rivers State, Chief Okey Wali, SAN was kidnapped by armed men along the East/West Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. As at the time of writing this piece, the whereabouts of the respected elder statesman is yet to be known.
This brings to fore the increasing level of insecurity in the country and the emerging trend of arrest, harassment and abduction of lawyers in Nigeria, thusly, making legal practitioners endangered species while performing their professional duties to their clients and the society. In the evening of Friday, the 23rd of August, 2013 prominent human rights and constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN was kidnapped at the Ehor stretch of the Benin-Auchi motorway. The four policemen who responded to the distress call made by a witness were ambushed and killed by the kidnappers. Early April, 2023, news emerged also that one Dr.Azubuike Dike, the lawyer for the APC in Rivers State and a brother to the Legal Adviser of the APC in Rivers State were abducted in Port Harcourt. We also note the recent incident of the hotel room of lawyers being invaded by armed Policemen from the Rivers State Command and election materials in their custody seized without any search warrant shown. Impunity everywhere. On the 2nd of February, 2022, three Warri-based legal practitioners including Mr. Fred Aburu were kidnapped by some persons alleged to be herdsmen while on the Ekpoma/Auchi road on their way to a Court. Again, on Monday morning, January 9, 2023, gunmen suspected to be kidnappers abducted the President of the Igueben Area Customary Court, Mrs. Precious Aigbonoga. Aigbonoga around the Ugoneki axis, on her way to court in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State. Also in June, 2021, an Abia-based lawyer, Mr. Okey Mbanaso, was abducted.
Few months after the inauguration of Olumide Akpata as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, 25-year-old lawyer Bisola Ajayi was abducted in broad day light by dare-devil kidnappers on Sunday, the 4th of October, 2020 who invaded her family house in Rumuokwurusi in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area. The NBA President had to direct two of the NBA National Officers (I and the immediate past 1st Vice President, John Aikpokpo-Martins) to immediately relocate to Port Harcourt to monitor and work with the State Police Command to ensure her early release. Two days thereafter, she was released unhurt and with no ransom paid. Some of the kidnappers were arrested by the special squad constituted by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police. Her rescue was made easy as a result of deployment of technology. In 2014, two young Warri-based lawyers Horace Egwuono Dafiaghor and Samuel Ekwughanju while driving toCourtin Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State were ambushed and murdered by assassins. Till date, the Police refused to investigate the matter inspite of pressure by the Nigerian Bar Association, Warri branch that the assassination was politically-motivated.
The story of lawyers being assaulted, threatened, intimidated and abducted is now replete in most of the States in Nigeria. Harassment by members of the Nigerian Police Force, the State Security Service, the military and now, the men of the underworld has become the lot of the Nigerian lawyer, who is only performing his professional duty of offering legal advice and representation to his clients. According to Christopher Alexander Sapara Williams (14 July 1855 – 15 March 1915) who was the first indigenous Nigerian lawyer, called to the English bar on 17th of November 1879 a “lawyer lives for the direction of his people and the advancement of the cause of his country”.
Eleven days after his abduction, Chief Okey Wali, SAN is yet to be released nor his whereabouts known. The NBA President, Y.C. Maikyau, SAN in ensuring that all hands are on deck led a delegation of the NBA to visit the family of Chief Okey Wali, SAN; the Rivers State Commissioner of Police; the two policemen that were injured and only recently, the top echelon of the Police Command in Abuja. Lawyers’ lives matter and we urge the Inspector General of Police and the State Security Service to be more proactive in their core responsibility of protecting the lives and properties of Nigerians, which is also the primary reason for having a government.
According to prominent human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN “The N240 billion earmarked security votes every year are diverted and pocketed by a few public officers, Lawyers need to ensure that the security votes are used to motivate the security personnel and acquire modern security gadgets”. This again, makes the continued debate on State Police necessary. In a federation of more than 210 million people, it is almost impossible for a centralized police command to effectively manage the security challenges of the entire country.While, we hope that the institutions responsible for providing security for Nigerians up their game, let it be known that lawyers’ lives also matter.
