Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the Nigerian Bar Association to intensify efforts to stop the unlawful arrest and prolonged detention of citizens by the police and other law enforcement agencies.
Falana made the call in a statement titled, ‘Time for NBA to Stop Illegal Arrest and Detention of Nigerian Citizens’, urging the new leadership of the association to use existing legal provisions to strengthen the protection of suspects’ rights.
He particularly called on the NBA to ensure that lawyers attached to its Human Rights Committees across the country participate in the monthly inspection of police stations by Chief Magistrates.
Falana said the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the Nigeria Police Force Establishment Act 2020 require Chief Magistrates to visit police stations within their jurisdictions every month.
According to him, the visits provide an opportunity for magistrates to examine arrest records, ensure that suspects are promptly arraigned where necessary and grant bail to those who qualify.
The legal practitioner also urged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to designate judges to inspect detention facilities other than police stations, noting that such oversight was necessary to prevent suspects from being held beyond the period permitted by law.
He said, “We are compelled to call on the Nigerian Bar Association under the leadership of Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya to ensure that members of the Human Rights Committees of all the 145 branches of the Association make it a point of duty to accompany the Magistrates during the monthly visits and inspection of police stations.”
Falana further reminded the NBA of its statutory role under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, which recognises the President and national officers of the association as official visitors to correctional centres nationwide.
He also cited a judgment of the National Industrial Court in a case involving the Nigerian Bar Association and the Police Service Commission, where Justice O.Y. Anuwe held that police authorities have a duty to deploy legal practitioners serving as police officers to divisions to promote compliance with human rights standards.
Falana therefore called on the NBA leadership to ensure the implementation of the judgment and deploy greater legal oversight to police stations.
He added that the association should invoke relevant provisions of the law to protect indigent Nigerians from unlawful arrest and detention by the police and other security agencies.