The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has announced the release of the lawyers arrested in rivers for filing election petition in the state.

In a further statement by the President of the Association, Yakubu Maikyau, he noted that investigation is ongoing.

Recall that the Association had condemned the arrest of three lawyers who were working on a petition for the All Progressives Congress in the Rivers state Governorship election, describing the incident as unfortunate and disturbing.

The Association also promised to push for sanctions against any police officer found to have abused their office in the incident.

The lawyers, Jerry Aondo, Sobere Nelson, and Odum Eyiba, were said to be preparing the petition in a hotel in the state when they were arrested by the police.

They are representing the governorship candidate of the APC Tonye Cole, who is challenging the outcome of the election which produced Simi Fubara of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as Governor-elect.

The president warned that situations where the police were apparently being used to harass and intimidate lawyers, is a direct affront to the rule of law and a threat to the nation’s democracy.

According to him, the bar shall also take up the matter to ensure that any person(s) including the police officers, who may be found complicit in the events leading to the arrest of the lawyers, is sanctioned for any possible abuse of office, the statement added.