Falana Condemns Bolanle’s Murder, Challenges Lawyers To Mobilise Nigerians Against Police Brutality, Extrajudicial Killing Of Unarmed Citizens

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has condemned the killing of Bolanle Raheem, a pregnant Lagos-based lawyer.

Raheem was killed on Christmas Day in the Ajah area of Lagos when she and her family were returning from an event.

It was reported that some officers attached to the Ajiwe police station in Ajah had ordered the car conveying the family to stop, and during this time, an officer allegedly shot at the car, killing the lawyer.

According to Falana in a statement on Thursday, the killing of Raheem provides an opportunity for the Nigerians led by lawyers to address the root cause of the extrajudicial killing of unarmed citizens by law enforcement officers.

He said, “On a regular basis, kidnap, murder and terror suspects are paraded by police commissioners. But the majority of the suspects are extrajudicially executed after the parade. The police claim that those who were charged with grave offences before the High Courts in the past and who were freed on technical grounds turned around to attack and kill the police officers who had arrested them. So, instead of prosecuting armed robbery and other dangerous criminal suspects, they are extrajudicially killed by untrained executioners in the force.

“The suspects are usually shot in the back to give the impression that they were trying to escape from police custody. Thus, it is difficult to sue the police service commission for illegal killing of suspects that have been “wasted” by the police. After the execution, no post mortem is conducted while the bodies of the deceased are buried by the police at night. The money and other assets seized from the suspects are never returned to the family members or friends of the deceased but shared among police officers.

“Nigerian lawyers must ensure that Mrs Bolanle Raheem does not die in vain like others who were dispatched to their untimely graves before her. Indeed, the best tribute that the NBA can pay to the deceased is to use her cold-blooded murder to mobilise the Nigerian people to end police brutality in Nigeria. To start with, police checkpoints must be removed from Nigerian roads. The roads should be patrolled by combined teams of officers from the police and road safety commission.

“The use of arms by policemen on duty should be strictly regulated according to the service rules. No lethal options such as batons, tear gas, water, etc. should be employed in dispersing crowds.

“In Femi Falana v Chief of Army Staff & Ors (Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1939/19), the presiding Judge, the Honourable Railwan Aikawa, declared that the involvement of armed soldiers in the maintenance of internal security is illegal and unconstitutional. On the basis of the judgment, all checkpoints manned by soldiers should be dismantled by the Chief of Army Staff without any further delay.

“In the recent case of the State Security Service v Godwin Emefiele (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2255/2022), the Federal High Court assigned and determined the case within two days because it pertained to the personal liberty of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The NBA leadership should prevail on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and heads of other courts to ensure that all fundamental rights cases are promptly assigned and expeditiously determined regardless of the class status of the applicants.

“The Anti-Torture Act of 2017 prescribes that any police officer or law enforcement officer who subjects a citizen to torture is liable to be tried and if convicted to imprisonment for 25 years. If any person dies as a result of torture the police officer indicted is liable to be tried for murder. The NBA should direct its human rights committees to take up all cases of torture meted out to citizens by public and private individuals in the society.”

Source :- Sahara Reporters