Courts shut in Imo as lawyers protest alleged police assault on colleagues

Court proceedings were on Monday stalled in Imo State as lawyers in the State  branch of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) commenced three days protest against alleged police brutality on their members

The protesting lawyers displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “IGP please redeploy Imo CP now over impunity”, and “Police Service Commission must sack the DPO who led attack on lawyers.”

Litigants, who came to the courts, expressed disappointment over the development and urged the police authority to investigate the matter.

The NBA Chairman, Mr Damian Nosike, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the protest that the lawyers decided to boycott the courts for three days.

He said that beyond the boycott, the union would initiate civil action against the police to enforce the right of the victims.

Nosike called for the immediate redeployment of the Imo CP, Mr Dasuki Galadanchi, as well as the sack of Ngor-Okpala Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who allegedly led the attack on the lawyers

He said it was an impunity for the police to assault lawyers, adding that the branch would pursue the matter to a logical conclusion.

An Umuneke Magistrates’ Court in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area on Thursday struck out a charge against three armed robbery suspects after two lawyers, Emma Eke and Chukwuemeka Anyanwu, objected to their arraignment.

Consequently, police officers led by the DPO of Ngor-Okpala, SP I.E. Moses, the same day allegedly invaded the court and rearrested two of the three suspects, as one escaped, and also arrested the lawyers.

The lawyers were later arraigned on Friday on charges of aiding the escape of the suspects and complicity in the matter.