NBA Abuja (Unity Bar) Human Rights Committee Intervenes In Lawyer’s Arrest At Police Special Unit

Patience Adie4 hours ago

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NBA Abuja Human Rights Committee Intervenes In Lawyer's Arrest At Police Special Unit — Mr Ogbe in the middle

The Human Rights Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja Branch, has intervened in the detention of a lawyer by the Nigeria Police Force Special Unit at Zone 2, Wuse, Abuja.

On May 13, 2025, the committee received an urgent report from a legal practitioner, Mr. Charles, alleging that a colleague, Mr. Kyrian L. Ogbe, Esq., had been arrested while carrying out his professional duties.

Acting swiftly, the NBA Abuja Branch Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, Mr. Tony Idoko, confirmed the situation and a representative of the committee was despatched to the facility with the branch’s mandate.

Upon arrival at the police unit, the representative met with resistance from the officer in charge. Despite the initial hostility, he was granted access to the detained lawyer.

Mr. Ogbe was found at the station already preparing a bail application. According to the representative, the officer in charge made no effort to explain the grounds for Mr. Ogbe’s arrest. The arresting officers also did not offer any formal complaint.

After completing his application, Mr. Ogbe was released on self-recognisance.

The committee, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr Tony Idoko, Esq. considers this a clear case of professional harassment and violation of human rights.

The committee also condemned the arrest as unlawful and a threat to the rights of legal practitioners in Nigeria. The Human Rights Committee has vowed to pursue necessary redress and to document such infractions in its quarterly reports.

In conclusion, Idoko thanked the NBA Abuja Branch Chairman, Mr Steve Emelieze, Esq. for his continued support of their activities. He restated the committee’s commitment to defending human rights and upholding the rule of law. He further warned that any future violations of lawyers’ rights would attract legal consequences.