The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the kidnap of Okey Wali (SAN), the immediate past president of the association, who was abducted by unknown gunmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Saturday.
Condemning the act, in a statement on Sunday, Augustine Alegeh (SAN), the newly elected president of the NBA, described his predecessor as a man of peace who not only contributed immensely to the enthronement of rule of law and protection of human rights, but also to the development of the nation.
“It is, therefore, saddening that he should become a kidnap victim. This sad event is yet another reminder of the state of insecurity in which all Nigerians live. The NBA calls on the Federal Government to step up efforts to fulfill its primary constitutional role of providing for the welfare and security of all Nigerians. We passionately appeal to his abductors for his immediate and safe release to his family.”
Wali, who was the 26th president of the NBA, handed over the administration of the association to the incumbent in August 2014, less than two months ago. Incidentally, security in Nigeria was a prime focus and concern of his administration, and he used every opportunity to reinforce its importance to the development of the nation.
In one of his recent addresses he stated, “One of the worst tragedies plaguing our country, Nigeria, at the moment is the issue of national security. The high level of insecurity in Nigeria of today is alarming. Innocent, law abiding citizens can no longer travel safe on our roads due to insurgency, kidnapping, and armed robbery. Social activities and interactions have reduced to the lowest level, for fear of bomb explosions. Even when we want to sleep, we can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed. This is the situation in which we have found ourselves. Human life no longer has meaning in our country. Every blessed day, we are inundated by news of uncountable deaths and loss of human lives and property. We have slipped into a country of unshockability to loss of human life. This is a big shame”.
In another, he stated, “The NBA uses this medium to remind the Federal Government again, that the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property. We also remind the Federal Government that further to the principle of social contract, Nigerian citizens surrendered their sovereignty to the country in return for protection by the state. So far, it seems that government efforts in this regard are not yielding the desired result. We use this opportunity to encourage every Nigerian to be security conscious and collaborate with the security agencies for a more secured society.”
As at the time of filing in this report, his abductors were yet to make contact with his family.
THEODORA KIO-LAWSON
