The Abuja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, has condemned with disdain, the continuous detention of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, by men of the Nigerian Police Force.

In a press statement signed by the chairman of the branch, Bulus Y. Atsen, and sighted by TheNigerialawyer (TNL), the chair lamented that the arrest and detention of Mr. Ikenga is carried out in blatant violation of a subsisting order of the Court, which according to him is corrosive to the rule of law

Read his statement

NBA ABUJA BRANCH CALLS FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF IKENGA UGOCHINYERE

The Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch hereby condemns the reported arrest on the 18th June, 2020, and continuous detention of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere by the Nigerian Police Force.

The said arrest and detention of the legal practitioner and the spokesperson of Coalition United Political Parties (CUPP) are unlawful and a direct attack on the Courts in particular and the 1999 Constitution in general. It is worth noting that the FCT High Court granted an express order barring the Police and the DSS from arresting Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere pending the hearing and determination of a suit he filed against the trio of the DG DSS, the IGP and the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The arrest and detention of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere carried out in blatant violation of a subsisting order of the Court is corrosive to the rule of law and if allowed will, in the course of time, erode the core essence of our sense of institutionalization and nationhood.

Such travesty of justice must be condemned by all well-meaning organisations and individuals. The Nigerian Police Force which is a key partner of the courts in the administration of criminal justice should not be in the forefront of subverting the orders of courts.

The growing disregard for the orders and judgments of courts by institutions of government over the years is worrisome and condemnable. State powers are sacred and same must be exercised in good faith at all times for collective good.

It is against this background that the NBA Abuja Branch calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere by the Nigerian Police Force. The rule of law must be protected at all cost, as without it we cease to be a democratic state or at best, a pseudo-democratic country.

Bulus Y. Atsen
Chairman
NBA Abuja Branch