The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Rivers State has demanded the immediate release of lawyers in the custody of kidnappers and abductors.
They threatened to pull their members from courts and withdraw their professional services from all cases involving kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and others pending before the courts in the state.
The Branch Chairman, Sylvester Adaka, disclosed this after an emergency meeting with executives of the NBA branches in Rivers.
He said the insecurity in the country was taking a toll on the legal profession, despite efforts by the government.
Recalling the assassination of some lawyers, such as Ken Atswethe, Frank Igwe, and Anthony Wakamma, Adaka appealed to security operatives to utilise the equipment provided for them to step up their search for the kidnapped lawyers.
The NBA chief said lawyers had resolved to withdraw their services from kidnap cases, if their abducted members were not released.
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He said: “The NBA has observed with dismay the kidnapping of lawyers and their family members in Rivers, particularly, the recent kidnap of Iyke Emelogu on August 4 , at Unity Estate, Eneka, Obio Akpor Local Government Area and also recently the kidnap of Sunday Wonmo and Monima Peters, all members of the NBA Rivers state and a couple of others that we have not listed here.
“We condemn the increasing rate of assassination of Lawyers. We remember recently the assassination of Frank Igwe, Anthony Wakama and that of Ken Atswuete some time ago.
“What bothers us mostly is that of all those lawyers who were assassinated, nobody has been held liable for their assassination; nobody has been arrested and prosecuted. We also condemn the increasing rate of cultism, armed robbery, gangsterism and other criminal activities in the state.
“We commend the Rivers State government for rising up to the occasion and setting up the Operation Sting recently with the donation of gunboats, vehicles and other security gadgets and equipment to help security agencies in the state combat the increasing rate of crime.’’
He continued: “Consequently we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Lawyers, all their family members in the custody of the kidnappers. We call on all security agencies in the state to utilise the good gesture of the Rivers State government in stepping up the search and immediate release of our colleagues and other victims of kidnap in the state.
“In the failure to accede to the our demands and release our colleagues in detention within the nearest future, the members of NBA in Rivers state will call off their members to withdraw their professional services from all cases involving kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and the likes pending before all the courts in the state.’’
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