ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT OF A LEGAL PRACTITIONER, ALADODO ABDULLATEEF NURUDEEN, BY OFFICERS OF THE NSCDC, KWARA STATE COMMAND: THIS INJUSTICE MUST NOT BE SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET.

A PRESS STATEMENT BY OKEY LEO OHAGBA, ESQ.
PAST NBA NATIONAL OFFICER

The reported assault and harassment of Aladodo Abdullateef Nurudeen, Esq., a legal practitioner and serving Executive Committee Member of the NBA Ilorin Branch, by officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State Command, is not just disturbing, it is a brazen affront to the rule of law and a direct attack on the dignity of the legal profession. That a lawyer, acting in his professional capacity within the premises of a law enforcement agency, could be humiliated, brutalized, and unlawfully detained, paints a grim picture of institutional lawlessness, and abuse of power.

What transpired was not a mere act of impunity; it is in itself a criminal act. The alleged conduct of the officers involved, particularly the physical assault and the subsequent mob action against a clearly identified legal practitioner, amounts to a violation of his fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. More troubling is the reported alleged complicity or, at best, indifference of the State Commandant, whose duty it was to prevent such lawless conduct. Silence in the face of injustice is, in itself, complicity.

This incident reflects a dangerous and growing pattern of hostility and disrespect towards members of the Bar by certain law enforcement agencies. Such conduct, if left unchecked, erodes public confidence in the justice system and undermines the very institutions entrusted with the protection of citizens. The legal profession remains a critical pillar in the administration of justice, and any attack on its members is, by implication, an attack on the rule of law itself.

This moment demands more than routine condemnation. The NSCDC authorities must immediately identify, investigate, discipline and prosecute all officers involved in this reprehensible act. Administrative sanctions alone will not suffice where criminal liability is apparent. Accountability must be firm, visible, and uncompromising.

I stand in firm solidarity with Aladodo Abdullateef Nurudeen, Esq., and the Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin Branch, in this pursuit of justice.

This injustice must not be swept under the carpet. The rule of law must be upheld by all, especially those entrusted with its enforcement.

In Solidarity,
Okey Leo Ohagba, Esq.
Past National Officer, NBA

#Justice4Aladodo