The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu OFR, SAN has condemned yet another killing of a female lawyer Barrister Bolanle Raheem by a policeman in Ajah Lagos State.
The Chief Human Rights Officer who was reacting to the unfortunate death of the lawyer said the incident is regrettable, added that the officer has fallen short of standard operating procedure and professional ethics of the Nigerian Police Force.
He called in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Police to as a matter of necessity always ensure that officers who bear arms must, by all means be mentally balanced and respect the rules of engagement of the police force saying enough is enough of these avoidable deaths.
He recalled that the Commission went around the country to train police officers on human rights best practices and how to mainstream human rights in law enforcement operations, “yet we are still recording sad incidents of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the police officers ” he said.
While commending the High police command for immediately taking necessary action to arrest and put the errant officer in custody, Ojukwu SAN said the Commission will continue to monitor the process of investigation and prosecution of the errant officer to ensure that justice is adequately served.
The Learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria used this opportunity to commiserate with the family of Barrister Bolanle Raheem, as well as the Nigerian Bar Association. He regretted that Barrister Raheem’s death came as a shock to the Commission, adding that there must be a permanent solution to check this form of avoidable killings by the police.
The Human Rights Czar said it was unfortunate to know that the Commission has recorded several incidents of extrajudicial killings by the police and vowed to do all that is within its powers to ensure that these cases are not swept under the carpet.
