Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), expressed his disappointment and concern over the unlawful detention of Pius Awoke Esq, a Nigerian lawyer from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abakaliki branch. Awoke was reportedly arrested in 2021 for an unclear offense and spent nearly three years in detention before being released on June 21, 2024.
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Okutepa criticized the celebration surrounding Awoke’s release, stating, “For me there is nothing to celebrate for the release of any Nigerian citizen much more, a lawyer from detention after three years after arrest. It shows how our law enforcement agents are trampling and have trampled upon the liberties and freedom of hapless and defenceless Nigerians. I am not one of those celebrating the release of Pius Awoke Esq.”
A Nigerian lawyer, Pius Awoke Esq of NBA Abakalike branch, was arrested in 2021 for an offence that is not too clear to many till date. After about three years in detention, he was said to have been released on 21st June 2024. Some are celebrating it. Some are taking credits for…
— Jibrin Samuel Okutepa SAN (@jibrinSAN) June 22, 2024
The Senior Advocate called out the collective failure of lawyers to protect and defend justice, as well as their own members, against the unlawful actions of overzealous security agencies and justice institutions. “Rather, I weep that as lawyers, we have collectively and individually failed to protect and defend justice and ourselves against and from the unlawful invasions of not only the liberties of Nigerians but also the liberties and freedoms of Nigerian lawyers by our overzealous security agencies and indeed the institutions of justice put in place by law to protect and secure the liberties of all Nigerians,” Okutepa lamented.
Okutepa also highlighted the issue of corruption within the justice system, stating, “There are many Pius Awokes in detentions in Nigerian. Some well-connected and well to do individuals have cornered our institutions of justice to pervert the cause of justice. Money has become the most basic consideration to secure the illegal detentions of Nigerians in these institutions. We have institutions that denied remedies to unlawful invasions of our rights as Nigerians, and nothing may happen.”
The Senior Advocate expressed his concern over the state of detention camps in Nigeria, saying, “Many innocent souls have died in unlawful detentions because they have nobody to speak for them. Most of our detentions camps are like warehouses where human beings are dumped like rooten goods and chattels. There is no humanity in most Nigerians working in these institutions.”
Okutepa questioned the role of the NBA and its branches across Nigeria, particularly their human rights committees, in addressing these issues. “As an association, NBA has branches across Nigeria. These branches have human rights committees. Rather than promoting the rule of law, we have turned our noble association to petty political association that fights mundane issues and divisions, and we have forgotten the core mandate of the association,” he stated.
The Senior Advocate also criticized the increasing number of lawyers operating within these institutions who misuse their powers and positions to inflict harm on the liberties of Nigerians and fellow lawyers. “We experience more acts of terrible wickedness in the hands of some lawyers operating in those institutions. What have we done as professional association to tame our members who misuse their powers and positions to inflict injuries on the liberties of Nigerians and lawyers. We have done nothing to curb these wicked acts against ourselves,” Okutepa emphasized.
Okutepa concluded by congratulating Pius Awoke Esq on surviving the harrowing experience of his three-year detention and emphasized the need for reform in Nigeria’s justice system to prevent similar occurrences in the future. “My only consolation is that Pius Awoke Esq is alive to tell his side of the stories. To that extent, I congratulate Pius for surviving the harrowing and excruciatingly unhygienic experience for about three years in detention. The lesson for me is that we must collectively resolve to fight injustice and enthrone the rule of law in Nigeria where no man or woman is unjustly deprived of his or her dues under the law,” he stated.
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