- Whoever killed the lawyer and his client on their way from court in Anambra must be fished out and punished
The gruesome murder of Mr Rolex Iloakasia and his client around Agulu and Nanka communities in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, has triggered fear among the local communities. The stories surrounding the killing and the identity of the victims have raised national outrage and we hope the police will identify the killers and bring them to justice.
According to the Anambra State Police Command spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, the killers operated on a motorcycle. One of the victims was a lawyer who just secured a bail for a person accused of murder. The other victim was a client to the lawyer, while the third person survived the attack. According to the spokesman “preliminary investigations suggest that the victims were attacked while returning from the court session, having been trailed and double-crossed by the assailants.” If the insinuation that the lawyer was attacked because of his work is true, then every professional has cause to be concerned. For, no matter how unacceptable the outcome of a professional service may be, murder should never be contemplated as the answer for any disagreeable conduct.
In every legal contest, there will be a winner and a loser, and if after every such context, the winner is exposed to danger, then the society is in grave danger.
In other professions like medicine, doctors are sometimes exposed to danger when a patient dies in their care. While expression of emotion is human, predetermined killing can never be condoned, regardless of the level of provocation.
Sadly, judges and magistrates who preside over cases are sometimes victims of attack when a judgment does not go a certain way.
The sad incident in Nanka and Agulu community must be used to forestall recourse to murder as a way to settle scores, for professional services rendered in an unsatisfactory way, as insinuated in this case.
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The quick intervention of the state’s commissioner of police, who has reportedly ordered an intensive investigation into the murder and has deployed tactical intelligence teams to ensure the perpetrators are tracked to face criminal justice, is heartwarming. Anything short of that may open a floodgate of self-help, when a client disagrees with a service rendered. If, as the preliminary investigation suggested, the culprits are those who lost a loved one to a defendant who has been granted bail, following the effort of the slain lawyer, then they should be ready to suffer a double jeopardy when they are caught and punished for their crime. If, as alleged, a bail was granted against their wish, they have the option to urge the prosecution to appeal the bail. Moreover, a bail is not an acquittal, so if the accused person is guilty, as they believe, they can still get a conviction if the facts support their belief.
The ease with which ordinary Nigerians have access to firearms is a cause to worry. Over a decade ago, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Onitsha Branch, Anambra State, Barnabas Igwe, and his wife were gunned down over their activities as lawyers. Their murder was linked to agents of government, who were allegedly uncomfortable with the work of the NBA chairman in defence of human rights and abuses of power by the then state government.
We urge the legal community, the state government and the police to work together to ensure justice for the lawyer and his client, whose lives were cut short in broad daylight. No effort should be spared to ensure that the killers are identified and made to answer for their evil act.
We emphasise that anyone aggrieved with the outcome of a professional service should approach the law enforcement agencies, the court or relevant professional body, for redress.
