A newly called legal practitioner, Mr. Michael Sowore, has petitioned the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over what he describes as harassment and unsafe treatment suffered while attending an association programme in Port Harcourt, alleging that a commercial bus driver assaulted and threatened him, that a passing security patrol ignored his appeals for assistance, and that a police station failed to attend to his complaint.
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In the letter dated Thursday, 28 August 2026 and addressed to the President and the General Secretary of the association at the National Secretariat in Abuja, the complainant said the incident occurred on the night of Wednesday, 27 August 2026, at about 10:00 p.m., while he was on his way to the Legal Rave held at Casoni Premium Club, 6 Presbyterian Close, off Stadium Road, Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt.
He said he considered the circumstances sufficiently serious to warrant the immediate attention of the association, “particularly because the incident occurred in the course of my attendance at an NBA conference and left me in a vulnerable situation late at night, resulting in significant fear, anxiety and psychological distress.”
“The incident went beyond an ordinary disagreement over transportation,” he wrote. “It created a genuine concern for my personal safety and wellbeing.”
Dropped Short Of The Agreed Destination
Setting out the facts, the complainant said he boarded a commercial bus at about 10:00 p.m., operated by a driver whose details are presently unknown to him, and that the agreed destination at the time of boarding was Winpee.
“However, rather than taking me to the agreed bus stop, the driver stopped and dropped me along the road at a junction, under the bridge near a police station, at approximately 10:00 p.m., without reasonable regard for the circumstances or the safety implications of leaving passengers at that location at that hour, and the security situation in the country presently,” he wrote.
He said he objected and asked the driver to take him to the agreed destination, and that a disagreement then arose over the fare.
“Given that the driver had failed to take me to the agreed destination, I declined to pay the full fare and offered to pay a proportionate amount instead, in the spirit of fairness,” he said, adding that another female passenger travelling in the same vehicle also objected to the driver’s conduct and likewise refused to pay the full fare.
“Dragging My Shirt And Pulling At My Bag”
According to the complaint, the driver became increasingly aggressive and refused to resolve the matter reasonably, even after being informed that the passenger was a legal practitioner.
“He proceeded to harass me physically by dragging my shirt and pulling at my bag, while also threatening to physically harm me,” the complainant wrote.
He said the conduct continued despite the intervention of traders and other persons present at the junction, who attempted to prevent the situation from escalating.
“The Patrol Vehicle Proceeded Past The Scene”
The complainant said a patrol vehicle carrying personnel from security agencies passed the location during the confrontation, and that both he and the other passenger appealed to them for help.
“Despite our clear appeals and the circumstances unfolding before them, the patrol vehicle proceeded past the scene without making any enquiry, or offering any form of assistance, as though the situation required no intervention whatsoever,” he wrote.
He was careful to frame his objection in general rather than professional terms.
“The concern is not that I expected preferential treatment because I am a lawyer, but that a person who was visibly involved in a confrontation, expressly appealing for assistance and reporting a threat to his personal safety, ought reasonably to have received some form of security intervention, or at least an enquiry into the circumstances.”
He said the failure was particularly concerning given the late hour and the fact that the situation subsequently involved physical harassment and threats of harm, “raising further concerns regarding the availability and effectiveness of security assistance for lawyers and other conference participants, particularly at night.”
“My Complaint Was Not Attended To”
Rather than allow the matter to escalate further, the complainant said he paid the driver the full fare and an additional sum after the driver claimed that he had been further delayed, in order to secure his own safety, and then went immediately to a nearby police station to report what had occurred.
He said the driver was still believed to be proceeding towards the nearest bus park, and that he specifically asked the police to accompany him there at once so that the driver could be identified and the circumstances investigated.
“Regrettably, my complaint was not attended to, and no immediate assistance was provided,” he wrote.
“This aspect of the incident is particularly concerning to me. Having been left along the road at approximately 10:00 p.m. contrary to the agreed destination, I took the responsible step of approaching the Police for assistance. The failure to attend to the complaint meant that an opportunity to promptly identify the driver and investigate the incident was lost.”
“I Am Not Bringing This Complaint Merely Because Of A Disagreement Over A Fare”
Explaining why he took the matter to the association rather than leaving it, the complainant said the issue is institutional rather than personal.
“My concern is the broader issue of the safety, welfare and dignity of lawyers attending NBA programmes, and in this present case particularly when they are required to move around the host city at night and be protected by the security and law enforcement agencies.”
“The Nigerian Bar Association is the principal professional body representing legal practitioners in Nigeria. Where lawyers travel from different parts of the country to attend the Association’s programmes, conferences and professional engagements, reasonable measures ought to exist to ensure that participants are not exposed to avoidable security risks or left without meaningful assistance when incidents occur.”
“My Decision To Refrain From Fisticuffs Should Not Be Construed As An Indication That The Conduct Was Harmless”
The complainant said that notwithstanding the driver’s physical aggression and threats, he deliberately declined to engage him physically.
“As a legal practitioner, I considered it important to maintain my composure and dignity, and to resist the temptation to respond in kind. I instead chose to pursue the matter through lawful and appropriate channels, which ultimately led to this formal complaint to the Association.”
“My decision to refrain from fisticuffs should not, however, be construed as an indication that the conduct was harmless or should be trivialised. The fact that I exercised restraint, and that the situation did not degenerate into a more serious physical confrontation, was fortunate, because the worst possible outcome was avoided.”
“Had matters escalated, the consequences could have been considerably more serious. I therefore believe that the appropriate institutional response is to investigate what occurred, provide appropriate redress where warranted, and take preventive measures to ensure that other lawyers attending NBA programmes do not find themselves in a similar situation.”
The Requests
The complainant asked the association to investigate the circumstances of the incident, including the conduct of the commercial bus driver, and made the following further requests:
- That the association assist, where practicable, in identifying the driver and the transport operator concerned, including through any available information relating to the transportation, and by engaging with the relevant police authorities regarding the circumstances of his report and the failure to provide immediate assistance when the incident was reported
- That it consider whether any security or transportation arrangements associated with the conference require review or improvement, noting that ride hailing drivers on platforms including Bolt and inDrive “charge at least double the price provided for on the platform, and not every person can afford the exploitative fares”
- That it put in place appropriate measures to ensure that lawyers attending future conferences and programmes are able to move safely, particularly during late night periods
- That it consider establishing a clear emergency and security reporting mechanism for conference participants, through which lawyers can obtain prompt assistance when confronted with harassment, transportation related incidents or other security concerns
- That it take any other steps it considers appropriate to prevent a recurrence
“Ubi Jus Ibi Remedium”
Closing the letter, the complainant emphasised that it was written in the interest not only of his own safety and welfare but of the wider membership of the association.
“That I, a newly called lawyer who travelled all the way from Lagos to another city, Port Harcourt, to participate in the first NBA conference, should not have to face avoidable harassment or find himself in a vulnerable situation late at night without an effective avenue for assistance.”
He urged the leadership to treat the complaint with the seriousness it deserves, and warned against dismissing it on account of the parties involved.
“It should not be treated lightly or trivialised merely because it involved a commercial bus driver or arose from a transportation dispute. The safety, dignity and wellbeing of a legal practitioner attending an NBA conference should not be diminished by the status of the person involved or the nature of the immediate dispute.”
He said he remains available to provide further details, identify the location of the incident, supply the details of the police station at which the complaint was made, and assist with any investigation the association may undertake, signing off with the maxim ubi jus ibi remedium, where there is a right, there is a remedy.
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