THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has set up Legal Support Services Teams nationwide to provide free legal assistance to protesters whose fundamental rights may be violated during the protests that began this morning.
The President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), has instructed the chairpersons of the 130 branches of the association to ensure their human rights committees address any reported cases of fundamental rights violations, harassment, intimidation, or torture inflicted by law enforcement officials, protesters, or others during the demonstrations.
Additionally, the chairpersons have been tasked with creating monitoring committees to observe and report on the interactions between law enforcement agents and protesters.
The NBA has also introduced an online monitoring form for individuals whose rights have been infringed upon to fill out.
Members of the monitoring committees, along with other NBA members participating in these monitoring efforts, are encouraged to complete and submit the form for the NBA’s records and any necessary follow-up actions.
To facilitate effective coordination of this initiative, the NBA’s Legal Support Services Teams across the country will be led by the 1st Vice President of the association, Linda Rose Bala; the Chairman of NBA-SPIDEL, Steve Adehi, SAN; and the Chairman, NBA Human Rights Institute; Chinonye Obiagwu, SAN.
The NBA President has also reached out to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to seek collaboration with the NBA on these matters.
Furthermore, the NBA encourages citizens, including its members participating in the protests, to exercise their rights peacefully and lawfully while urging security agencies to uphold professionalism and respect human rights in the enforcement of the law.
