“Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend”
-William Shakespeare [Sonnet 60]
1. It gives me NO pleasure, to be standing here today to render this
tribute to our learned friend – Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem. This is
one of the hardest and most unpleasant assignments I have had to
undertake as President of the NBA. Never did I expect that I would
have to pay tribute to a colleague whose life was cut short by an
officer of the law. I did not know Bolanle personally – I do not
think we ever met, but our lack of acquaintance has not made her
death any less painful for me.
2. It is rather unfortunate and regrettable that the right to life has
become one of the most abused rights in Nigeria today. Daily we
are confronted with the mindless killing of innocent citizens, on
the one hand by the various non-state actors operating in different
parts of the country – armed robbers, unknown gunmen, bandits,
herdsmen, militants, etc., and then on the other hand, we have law
enforcement agents, who have the sworn duty to protect lives and
properties, contributing to the loss of countless lives. And so it
happened that on 25 December 2022, Bolanle became one of the
victims of extrajudicial killings by the police when, on her way
back from church after the Christmas service, in the company of
her husband, sister and child, she was shot by a trigger-happy
police officer. She did not deserve to die in that manner – no one
deserves to die like that!
3. Bolanle’s death is one death too many! She is just but one of the
many Nigerians who have lost their lives at the hands of those who
swore to protect them. While we commend our security agencies
for their efforts in discharging their constitutional mandate within
the very limited resources available to them, with many of them
paying the supreme price in the course of their work, we cannot
afford to be silent over their excesses. We must take action to stop
the occurrence of these very ugly and frightening incidents and it
is my hope that Bolanle’s death will be the catalyst for the change
we need!
4. Omobolanle was a member of the Lagos Branch of the NBA until
the time of her untimely death; she was one of us. But that is not
the sole reason we have chosen to hold this event in her memory
and in her honour. This ceremony is being held today because,
Omobolanle, in her death, has become the enduring symbol of all
innocent Nigerians who lost their lives at the hands of the police
and other security agencies. Our tribute today is therefore not only
to mourn our departed colleague and other citizens, but also to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that justice is done in their cases.
5. In the first statement issued by the Nigerian Bar Association on 26
December 2022 – the day after the incident, I stated, amongst other
things, that: “The NBA will not only get to the root of this
incident, we will uproot it and take steps to deal with anyone
found culpable in every lawful way. We will ensure that this does
not happen to any citizen anymore.”
6. I am therefore restating the unequivocal commitment of the
Nigerian Bar Association to ensure that what happened to Bolanle
does not happen to another citizen of this country again. It does not
matter whether a Nigerian is in Kotangora, Abakaliki, Ajah or IleIfe; every person’s life is sacred and must be protected by all
officers and agencies of government. I thank President
Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR; the Governor of Lagos State, Mr.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Assistant Inspector General of Police,
Zone 2, AIG Adeleke Adeyinka Bode; the Honourable Attorney
General of the State, Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN; the Lagos State
Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi and all other
stakeholders and personnel of the various government
departments, for their commitment and concerted efforts to seeing
that justice is served in this case and for the cooperation the Bar
has received so far.
7. The sudden demise of our beloved colleague, Bolanle, is a stark
reminder to us of the fleetingness of life. While we pray and work
to ensure that no one else dies in the way she was taken from us,
we nonetheless know that death is the end of every mortal and the
time of its occurrence for each of us, is something we are not privy
to. Therefore, as we mourn today, I enjoin us to also reflect on our
own lives; let us contemplate our mortality, our sincerity, and our
eternity. Knowing that life on earth is transient and one day when
our life is over, we would all stand to give account of our sojourn
on this side of eternity.
8. Having this in mind, let us see to it that we walk circumspectly, not
as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time because the days are evil
(Ephesians 5: 15 – 16). Bolanle went to church and never returned
home, it could have been any of us. We must, therefore, remain
conscious of the truth that the life we live is transient, we must
always look up to God to “… teach us to number our days, that
we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
9. I commiserate with the family of our colleague on this very painful
loss. It is sad that her husband, child, and sister were present when
she was so violently murdered. I can only imagine the pain and
trauma of not just losing a loved one, but also having to witness
the ugly crime. This must have been a harrowing experience for
you all. I feel your pain, I feel your agony, and it is my prayer that
the Almighty God will abide with you all in this time of grief and
continue to assure you of His faithfulness and goodness despite
what has happened. May the Holy Spirit; the God of all comfort,
comfort you now and always, and may the peace of God which is
beyond human understanding, protect your hearts and minds
through Christ our Lord, Amen.
10. We miss you Bolanle. We are pained by your sudden demise. We
miss the physical fellowship, but we take comfort in the words of
the scripture which guarantees that when we exit our earthly house
– our bodies, we only fall asleep and we shall continue to live in
eternity with the Lord. I therefore commend us to the following
words of the scripture:
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in
Jesus.For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will
by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall
always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another
with these words”. (1 Thessalonians 4: 13 – 18).
11. Continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Omobolanle, until we meet again to part no more.

Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, OON, SAN
PRESIDENT