The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olumide Akpata has said the allegations by Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike that the NBA has become a paper tiger which has failed in its responsibility to protect the judiciary in Nigeria and rescue it from political intimidation is a baseless accusation.
Mr. Akpata noted that contrary to Wike’s allegation, NBA is short of taking the law into their own hands and carrying ammunition without licence to defend the Judiciary. He stated that the NBA is doing its best in the circumstance, and in an atmosphere that is widely acknowledged to be characterized by recklessness and little regard for the rule of law by governments at all levels.
He noted that Governor Wike’s invectives is inconsiderate and uncharitable and reminded the Governor thus:
It is very convenient for Governor Wike to ask Nigerian lawyers (as he did at the Book Launch) to emulate their apparently more courageous Pakistani colleagues when the issues at stake do not concern him directly, but when in 2019 the very same Nigerian lawyers had the “temerity” to question his handling of the security situation in Rivers State and threatened to boycott the Courts if there was no abatement of the rising insecurity in the State, he was only too quick to lambast the lawyers and to withdraw his “support” for the NBA in the State.
Governor Wike had at the book lunch held in honour of the recently retired Supreme Court Justice Odili taken a swipe at the NBA noting that it has lost its usefulness and is only good at issuing statements.
Read NBA’s Response in full
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