An Attemp by the Nigerian Police to Demystify Nigeria Lawyers – Sabastine Anyia

I’m terribly worried that the Nigerian police have assumed a status that makes them feel they are above legal practitioners.

They have done everything within their powers to demystify lawyers in the presence of their clients in various police stations.

We have seen, heard and read from various tabloids how these Police officers, insults, harassed and assaulted lawyers in their various police stations. As if that was not enough, they now have graduated to the next level of conspiring with some weak magistrates to send innocent lawyers to be reminded in prison custody.

It is not enough that the leadership of the NBA condemned the acts of the Police and that of the Magistrates but serious proactive steps must be taken to this effect.

Those Police officers involved in this act and the said magistrate must be brought to book.

Any Magistrate who can be intimidated by the police to send innocent lawyers who are doing their professional duties to prison custody is not worth to be on the bench.

We have tolerated these police officers excesses for too long that they now take us for granted and we are gradually losing our value in the committee of nations.

Until we take aggressive steps against police officers who insults, harassed and assaults lawyers by sacking them from the Police Force, we will only be regarded by the citizenry as toothless bull dogs who have no value.

I also strongly suggest that the magistrate that connived with these Police officers should be sacked from the bench. This will go a long way to bringing sanity back to our profession.

Law profession has always been an honourable profession and so shall it remain.

Sabastine U. Anyia Esq.