Police Brutality: Warri Based Young Lawyer, Bernard Oyabevwe Granted Bail As Branch Vows To Bring Policemen To Justice

The Warri based young lawyer, Bernard Oyabevwe who was arraigned earlier today for the offense of unlawfully assaulting a police officer by the name CPL Collins Imade, has been granted bail. There was an unavoidable drama in court today as lawyers turned out in their number to show solidarity with their colleague. The said lawyer, Mr. Oyabevwe was said to have been assaulted by some policemen attached to the “A” Division Police Station, Warri when he was briefed by a client who was at the Police station. According to the Press Statement signed by the vice president of the NBA Warri Branch, Kunle Edun, and made available to TheNigerialawyer, the Policemen were not comfortable with the presence of the lawyer and pushed him out of the station; that it was the refusal of the lawyer to be treated shabbily and his insistence that a Police Station is a public place where he came to perform his professional duties on behalf of his client that made the policemen to beat him up. He noted that the Area Commander of the Warri Area Command and DPO of the station probably apprehensive of the consequences of the assault on the young lawyer quickly filed a frivolous charge of conduct likely to cause breach of the peace against the young Lawyer. ”We insisted that the main case should go on but as usual with prosecution of cases by policemen when they have a bad case, they pleaded for a date to put their house in order. ”The case was adjourned to 13/6/18 for hearing. The court directed the police to furnish the Defendant’s lawyer copies of all the documents and materials in their possession which the Police wants to use to the prosecute the case,” he said. Mr. Edun further stated that the branch shall be sending a petition to the CP Delta State calling for the dismissal of the identified policemen who committed grievous assault on our colleague. ”There is nowhere in our criminal laws where the punishment for any offence (assuming any offence was ever committed which did not happen in this case) the law did not authorize the Nigerian Police to inflict sentence on a citizen by battering his face,” he added. Information also disclosed to TheNigerialawyer shows that Mr. Oyabevwe the assaulted young lawyer, is also writing a petition to be addressed to the CP Delta State. In addition, a Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement Action has also been commenced against the Policemen. Noting that there are some evidence against the policemen, the chairman lamented the continuous assault on lawyers by men of the Nigerian Police and the need why something must be done to address it once and for all. ”This assault is one too many against lawyers in Nigeria. The legal profession is now becoming an endangered profession and under siege by law enforcement agencies. However, we remain resolute in our determination to destroy the forces of evil. The bar shall never be intimidated,” he said.]]>