Until Lawyers understand that when a Lawyer is assaulted, it is not about the Lawyer , but the dignity of the legal profession, Lawyers will continue to be brutalised.
Let us take this scenario:
A DSS Officer comes to the Bar House or Bar Centre, identified himself as a DSS Official , he was heated by Lawyers , made to sit on the bare floor ,his buttons are ripped off and he has visible marks on his back .
*What do you think will be the immediate response of the DSS*?
Not My Business.You think So?It will get to your turn.Then you will understand why I am fighting this cause .
-Douglas Ogbankwa Esq.
(Lawyer brutally attacked by the DSS at 1,High Court Road , Benin City Edo State on the 26th of September,2023 when he entered the facility at about 11:45 hours)
At about the same time , a lawyer was brutally attacked in Owerri ,by the Area Commander,Owerri (Fire Service) of the Nigeria Police, just this week some Lawyers (State Counsel ) were attacked by the DSS in Markurdi , Benue ) .Many attacks took place that never made to the media .Very soon , we will all understand my message.NBA should start acting and not just speak.We are very powerful, if we understood our place in society.This is a democratic government and in a democratic government , the law is the king .We are the custodians of the Law . Democracy has no meaning , with out freedom.The Rule of Law is not a privilege, it is Constitutional and even animals have rights .The more we allow these matters , to be swept under the carpet , the more worse of such issues will happen.
For those of you that are not lawyers , your cases are even worse .You are all endangered species.This is a collective fight for justice to serve as a deterrence to others .Penalties for wrong doing is the only sure guarantee that the illegality will not repeat itself .
The DSS must bring the briggard that attacked me to book immediately.It is non negotiable.The message must be sent loud and clear.All the Security Agencies must have codes of conduct of how they deal with the public .I reiterate they are all agencies of the federal government of Nigeria and we are free borns of Nigeria.Nobody owns Nigeria , more than the other .Policing or security is every one’s business.It is only in Nigeria some Security Agencies see themselves like a secret cult .In other parts of the world , almost every citizen is either a security agent or secret service agent .The mentality of “We” and “Them” must stop There must be citizens inclusiveness in our security architecture.
Even now , the Vigilantes know feel more superior than the other citizens .That is why Vigilantes kill the innocent more than all the other security agencies combined .
One of the reasons I am still in Nigeria, is that I can not be a second class citizen in my country.
Government must act now .That is how ENDSARS started .The person who was preaching about the end of police brutality was not taken seriously.But when the Youth went violent , Government listened .The Nigerian Federal Government should not give the impression that violence is the only language they understand.This will bred a gang ster’s paradise.
Barr Douglas Ogbankwa, a human rights lawyer, writes from Benin City Edo State
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