Former Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, has said the killing of Port Harcourt lawyer Ken Atsuwete is a big loss to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the nation.
In a statement yesterday, Igini said: “The greatest disdain for the sanctity of human life has again been exhibited in our fatherland, with the reported killing of a Port Harcourt-based, Delta State-born lawyer, Mr. Ken Atsuwete, a rising star in the legal profession.
“We were on the same panel with the federal attorney-general (AGF) in the just-concluded Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) conference in Rivers State, where he demonstrated a spark of intelligence and exhibited the courage of conviction and expression to the admiration and plaudit of lawyers at the conference.
“Why the killing of this young man, known for his public interest and human rights advocacy? What purposes will the killing serve other than a debasement of humanity and eternal pains to his family?
“The horrifying manner his body was allegedly riddled with bullets cheapens human life in the basest way imaginable. How did we get to the point where life becomes so cheap and means so little to some people? How could fellow citizens choose to take the lives of others, as we experience daily across the country, without fear?
“While I join other Nigerians to condemn this dastardly, savagely and horrifying act, we call on the inspector-general of Police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to deploy some of their best trained and experienced personnel in intelligence and investigation units to do everything possible to track down the killers of this rising star, whose life has been cut short. So many cases of unresolved killings and failure to apprehend those responsible in the past are responsible for the unabated situation we are confronted with today as a people.
“The killing of Atsuwete and others are symptomatic of deeper societal maladies, a society in which citizens scorn the administration of justice with such glee is unviable. This narrative obviously questions all the layers of the administration of justice, from policing, judicial administration to correctional services; most importantly, our collective sense of decency and values.
“The killing of this lawyer must, therefore, be seen, not only as a tragedy that it is, but also as an opportunity for introspection; bombing of fellow citizens, killing and roasting of fellow citizens by other citizens, surely are not signs of a healthy society, and most of these are not issues that any government alone can remedy, but society collectively.