The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Thursday, vowed to ensure justice was served in the case of Lagos-based female lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, who was shot dead by a police officer on Christmas day.

The police officer, who was later identified as Drambi Vandi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, was attached to Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah, Lagos State.

The cop and his team were said to have tried to stop Raheem and her family members as they drove back home from a church service.

Raheem was shot when her car attempted to make a U-turn under the Ajah Bridge and was later pronounced dead at the hospital to which she was rushed, causing outrage among Nigerians.

Reacting to the incident on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, on Thursday, the NBA’s 3rd Vice President, Mandy Asagba, chastised the police officer for violating the police code of conduct and assured the victim’s family that the NBA will pursue the case with them until justice is served.

Asagba said: “They have rules and a code of conduct. One thing I have noticed with the system in Nigeria, particularly the police is that they kind of go outside the law at any point in time, they violate the law; they go contrary to the law most of the time. Constitutionally it was wrong, going by the police SOP, it is unacceptable, it’s so inhuman, it’s unthinkable I must say and I say to myself this could have happened to anybody.

“So if Nigerians are going to keep quiet at this then trust me anybody can be the next victim, but I thank God Nigerians are not keeping quiet. The NBA President has said it without mincing words that we are ready to go all the way out, we are ready to be the complainants with the family, we are also ready to ensure that we are not just going to the root of the matter but to uproot the system of injustice happening in the land.”

NBA seeks N5bn damages, swift prosecution of cop

Meanwhile, the NBA promised to seek the payment of damages not less than N5 billion in addition to the swift prosecution of the cop culpable in the killing of a Lagos-based lawyer, Bolanle Raheem.

A human rights lawyer, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, in a statement, urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to follow the model that he adopted during the EndSARS Judicial Panel to pay compensation to Raheem’s family.

Adegboruwa said: “The Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch, is to monitor the trial of ASP Drambi Vandi, the policeman that shot and killed Mrs Omobolanle Raheem in Lagos on December 25, 2022. The Association will also press for monetary compensation for the family of the deceased by the relevant government agencies.

“The NBA Lagos in conjunction with the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Y.C. Mikyau, SAN, has decided to be part of the prosecution of the policeman as part of its efforts towards securing quick and effective justice for the family of the deceased. In this regard, the NBA will be partnering with the Ministry of Justice during the trial. Mr Adegboruwa has in turn obtained relevant briefing from the Attorney-General of Lagos State and has secured the assurances of an accelerated prosecution once the case file is received from the police.

The NBA is also seeking monetary compensation for the family of Mrs Raheem from the government of Lagos State, the Federal Government and indeed the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission, through its Human Rights Committee. The NBA will seek for payment of damages not less than N5billion in addition to the prosecution of the killer Cop.”

IGP meets with Sanwo-Olu, pledges justice

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, yesterday, restated that justice will be served in the murder of Mrs Raheem.

The IGP, who stated this while receiving Governor Sanwo-Olu at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, also cleared the air on the identity of the police officer arrested in connection with the murder of the late Raheem.

Speaking during the meeting, the governor said: “We have come here this morning to get an update and also to brief him on the security situation in Lagos, especially the death of the late Mrs Raheem.”

While condemning Raheem’s murder, Sanwo-Olu said he is collaborating with the police leadership in ensuring that the sad event does not repeat itself.

PSC approves suspension of killer cop

Meanwhile, the Police Service Commission, PSC, yesterday, approved the suspension of ASP Vandi, who allegedly shot and killed Mrs Raheem.

The PSC, in a statement by its spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani said: “The Commission also directed that the final investigation into the matter is concluded to enable the Commission take further necessary action.

“The Commission, in a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, signed by the acting Chairman Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, stated that the Commission has carefully examined the facts of the case, observations and recommendation with respect to allegations against the officer and granted approval for the suspension of the officer from duty with immediate effect.”

How lawyers can end police brutality —Falana

Also condemning the murder, rights activist, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, urged legal practitioners to end extrajudicial killings in the country.

Falana, in a statement, said: “The cruel killing of Mrs Bolanle Raheem provides an opportunity for the Nigerian people led by lawyers to address the root cause of the extrajudicial killing of unarmed citizens by law enforcement officers. On July 15, 1981, Dele Udo, a United States-based athlete and a potential world beater in the 400 metres was shot dead by a trigger-happy policeman at Ojuelegba in Lagos State. That was the beginning of the reckless shooting of unarmed citizens by armed policemen and armed soldiers on the roads.

“It is pertinent to note that despite the demand of the human rights community for fundamental reform of the curriculum of the police academy the training of police cadets has remained as brutish as it was under the British colonial regime. Upon their graduation, the recruits usually unleash violence on a society that had dehumanised them in the police academy. Having been brutalised themselves, they derive pleasure in subjecting suspects to physical, mental and psychological torture. During the interrogation of a suspect, it is not uncommon for a policeman to threaten that ‘I will kill you and nothing will happen.’

“Nigerian lawyers must ensure that Mrs Raheem does not die in vain like others who were dispatched to their untimely graves before her. Indeed, the best tribute that the NBA can pay to the deceased is to use her cold-blooded murder to mobilise the Nigerian people to end police brutality in Nigeria. To start with, police checkpoints must be removed from Nigerian roads. The roads should be patrolled by combined teams of officers from the police and road safety commission.”

Besides, the rights activist said: “The NBA should prevail on the Federal Government and State Governments to publish the reports and implement the recommendations of the judicial panels. Otherwise, the NBA should adopt legal measures to compel the Governments to implement the recommendations.

“Furthermore, the NBA should mount pressure on state governments to enact laws for the establishment of human rights bodies to protect the human rights of citizens. This was the principal resolution adopted by the National Economic Council after the #EndSARS protests.”