NBA Reacts To The Plights of Two Lawyers: (Zainab) Adbucted in Jalingo And Another (Goodness) Mercilessly Tortured By Police At Enugu

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has reacted to the alleged abduction of Zainab Kishimi, the Vice President of Jalingo NBA Branch and the brutalization of one Goodness, Esq., a staff of an NGO, Women Aid Collective (WACOL), by the Enugu Police Command.

TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL) learnt that Zainab Kishimi Esq was kidnapped at around 8:00 pm on the 30th January, 2020 from her residence behind Central Bank Headquarters, Jalingo, Taraba State.

Zainab Kishimi who is the Vice-Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association, Jalingo Branch is a Counsel with the Ministry of Justice, Taraba State and a Principal State Counsel for that matter.

She is said to be a staunch member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida), Taraba State Chapter and was even the past Chairperson of her Electoral Committee.

The NBA President, Paul Usoro, SAN reached out to the leadership of Jalingo branch and efforts are being coordinated to ensure her early release.

“This latest abduction brings to fore the increasing state of insecurity in Nigeria and the seemingly inability of the Nigerian security apparatus to address it. The NBA therefore, calls upon the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to declare a state of emergency on the security situation in the country. The increasing inefficiency and inability of the security agencies to tackle this menace is becoming the new normal and very worrying.” NBA says

In a related development, the officers of the Area Command, Enugu in Enugu State invaded, attacked and molested staff of WACOL (Women Aid Collective) at the NGO’s office in Enugu. WACOL.

Recounting the ordeal of Goodness, Esq., in a statement sighted by TNL, WACOL says on Monday the 27th day of January 2020, it reported a rape incidence to the Police Area Command Enugu, Enugu State. Goodness handed the victim over to them and was also present when they obtained a statement from the alleged rape victim.

The police later called Ibangah Goodness Esq. requesting that she provides the victim to them as the parents of the suspect had plans of settling the issue with the victim and her family. She told them that she had handed over the matter to them and therefore they should source the victim by themselves with the contact details she provided in her statement with them. Rather, the Area commander and some other officers at the station kept calling Ibangah Goodness Esq and trying to intimidate her and coerce her to provide the victim for settlement with the boys parent.

To its utmost dismay, on 30th January, 2020 four Police officers from Area Command Enugu, Enugu stormed its office and entered all the rooms in the office building and when they saw Ibangah Goodness Esq. who happened to be in a meeting. They mercilessly beat her up to a state of near unconsciousness. They extended the beating to Miss Nneka Okwor, another member of staff when she made to plead with them to stop beating Goodness. The police Officers took the phone of Ibangah Goodness Esq. and confisticated the phone of anyone who dared to take pictures, record or video their hideous acts. They also destroyed some WACOL’s office doors in the process. It was such a dastardly beating that at a point Goodness ran into the office toilet to save her dear life, yet the four of them chased her like a hardened criminal into the toilet, dragged her out and continued beating her.

After beating her to their satisfaction, the police whisked her away to their office alongside Ezeani Esq who was outside when the incident happened.

On getting to the station the parents of the alleged rapist and the police officers started abusing and maltreating Ibangah Goodness esq. and the other lawyer who was also with her. Ibangah Goodness told them that she was having breathing difficulty and needed her medical attention as a matter of urgency, they turned a deaf ear to her plea and continued to force her to make a statement and also produce the victim for settlement.

Around 3:00 pm Goodness Esq. fainted and collapsed while still in custody and was not rushed to the hospital until after 20 minutes when Daniel Onyeonagu Esq. one of WACOL Pro Bono Lawyers who saw Police reluctance to provide their own vehicle took her in his car to the National Orthopeadic Hospital, Emergency Unit. Two Police officers accompanied him in his car. Just before they got to the hospital, Goodness Ibangah Esq. became totally unconscious and lifeless. It took the timely intervention of the doctors at the hospital who used their Oxygen and other necessary medical equipment to revive her. Immediately they arrived at the hospital and before she was revived, the two police officers who had her in their custody and who accompanied Daniel Onyeonagu Esq. to the hospital thought she had died and ran way.

They detained Ezeani Esq. who was outside WACOL office when they were beating Goodness Esq. inside their office. She remained in their custody from around 2pm noon till 6:00pm when she was finally released after obtaining a statement from her.

In its reaction, the NBA says “We hereby call upon the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission to investigate this rogue behavior by the Police and bring all those involved to book.”