NBA Demands Better Protection For Members, Judicial Officers In Anambra
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Anambra has called on the state government and all security agencies to ensure safety for its members and officers in the judicial system to enable them discharge their legal duties freely.
Mr Kevin Abonyi, the Chairman, Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries, of NBA, Anambra Chapter made the call at a news conference held at the Judiciary Headquarters, Awka on Wednesday.
The news conference was to announce the end of the 2-day boycott of courts by all lawyers in Anambra to protest the gruesome murder of their colleague, Mr Ifeanyi Rolex Iloakasia.
Iloakasia was killed in Nanka alongside his client whose bail was secured while returning from a court sitting in Ekwulobia High Court in Aguata Local Government Area on May 15.
The NBA had announced that all court sittings in Anambra should be boycotted by lawyers on May 20 to May 21.
Abonyi said the boycott was not just a symbolic protest but a firm statement against the lawlessness, insecurity and targeted attacks on legal practitioners in Anambra.
“Iloakasia’s assassination was not an isolated incident, it was another painful addition to the growing list of lawyers slain in the course of their professional duties.
“As custodians of justice, we could not and would not allow his murder to go unanswered.
“The NBA in Anambra took a decisive action to demand justice, accountability and immediate intervention from relevant authorities to ensure that legal professionals can operate without fear of violence or reprisal,” he said.
The body, therefore, demanded “swift and thorough investigation” into Iloakasia’s murder.
It also urged the security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice.
It appealed for “concrete security measures to protect lawyers and judicial officers from targeted attacks, including enhanced intelligence gathering and law enforcement responsiveness.
“We demand the government’s intervention through the Anambra governor, with immediate steps taken to strengthen security operations beyond the existing framework of the current security outfit, ‘Operation Udogachi’.
“We want zero tolerance for violence against lawyers, ensuring that Anambra does not become a dangerous terrain for legal practice,” the association said.
