-Says Committee Yet To Submit Any Recommendation To NEC
-Says ‘We Have Been Getting Helpful Information
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Chairman of the NBA Conference Incident Investigation Committee, and the immediate past Attorney General of Ekiti State Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, SAN, has once again affirmed that the committee is yet to reach a finding on the vandalism that took place at the last AGM of the Association, in Lagos, Nigeria.
According to the learned silk” what we presented to NEC was a preliminary report of our findings. That was not the final report”
The committee chair noted that the committee could not have finalised its report without hearing from all concerned.
“ Our request to branch chairpersons and secretaries at the NEC meeting was to help us identify persons who we believe based on video recordings and eye witness accounts are able to assist us with our investigation. The first step is to establish their identities. We don’t even know if they are lawyers. Once we have established their identities the second step is to invite them for a discussion with the investigation committee. It is at the end of this process that we will present our final report to NEC. It is then left for NEC to determine next steps. We have no power to pass guilty verdict on anyone”
Fapohunda, SAN, while speaking with TheNigeriaLawyer said “it is regrettable that since the inauguration of the committee in September, we have had limited information and support from members of the bar especially those who witnessed the disturbances. In fact it is tragic that the limited communications we received till now was largely from members who have suggested we should simply move on and forget the episode. It is only in the past 48 hours since the publication of the pictures that we have been overwhelmed with calls and chats”
“The persons whose images were made public are persons of interest who we believe we should engage . We have not made any conclusions”
One of the persons alleged to have been involved in the vandalism that took place at the AGM, Godwin Madubuegwu, recently denied and dismissed allegations of his involvement in the untoward act, noting that pictures being displayed on social media and tabloid news outlets as one of the vandals had taken him by surprise.
‘I was only videoing the protesters with my phone when the CCTV camera picked my image’.
Madubuegwu who was called to Nigerian Bar in 2011, is a member of the Enugu Bar.
It will be recalled that on the 5th September 2022, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN inaugurated the Conference Incident Investigation Committee (CIIC) to investigate the disturbances that occurred during the 62nd Annual General Conference of the NBA and report its findings to the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Olawale Fapohunda SAN was appointed to Chair the Committee, while CP Lough Simon Asamber SAN, was appointed Alternate Chair. Oyindamola Fashakin was also named Secretary to the committee.
Other members of the Committee are:
• Mrs Oyinkan Badejo (Lagos Branch)
• Mrs. Toluwalope Aderiye (Ikeja Branch)
• Mrs Ada Edozie (Onitsha Branch)
• Mr Daniel Onwe Esq (Ikeja Branch)
• Mr Tongshishak John Jude Danjuma Esq (Jos Branch Chairman)
• Mr Mujahid M. Muhammad Esq. (Gombe Branch)
• Mr Lucky Ekarume Esq (Ikeja Branch)
• Miss Chinyere Nworah (Port Harcourt Branch)
• Mrs Adama Mohammed (Abuja Branch)
• Mr Shehu Sani Idris Esq (Kaduna Branch)
• Mrs ThankGod-Mina Hope Obeten (Calabar Branch)
• Ms Folashade Owolabi. (Ikeja Branch)
The Terms of Reference of the committee are:
i. Investigate and establish the cause of the disturbance, with reference to any contributing immediate and remote cause(s).
ii. Investigate and establish the identities of the persons involved in the disturbances
iii. Make recommendations concerning the matters stated above, taking into consideration the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, 2015 (as amended in 2021), Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007 and other relevant legislations, policies and guidelines.
iv. Recommend measures to ensure the future safe conduct of Annual General Conferences of the Nigerian Bar Association
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