A Legal Practitioner Ese James-Omokaro says various branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, have taken it upon themselves to ensure that the killing of Omobolanle Raheem is thorougly followed up and investigated.
Speaking on TVCBreakfast with Veronica Dan-Ikpoyi, the legal practitioner stated that the Nigerian Bar Association is ready to ensure that justice prevails.
“Statements have been issued and visitation done but we are not going to end at that point this time around because we’ve had this kind of situations before and it keeps reoccurring, it keeps happening.
“At this point, we are going to take it further by ensuring that there’s police reforms.
“We want to ensure that evaluation, medical evaluation, mental evaluation of these police officers is being done regularly.
“This case is that of Omobolanle, we learnt two weeks ago in that same police station, someone was killed as well and we didn’t hear about it so much, maybe because the person involved is not a legal practitioner.
“We don’t know how many of such incidents have happened in the past. We talked about the officer being 33 years in service.
“This brings up the issue of how many people the police officer must have killed, before now, but this is the one that has come to bear.
“This brings up so many issues, what do we do to ensure that this kind of situation does not reoccur? So we want to ensure that we push further to ensure that steps are taken.
She noted that the Nigerian Bar Association will look at the issue of recruitment of the police. Issues of recruiting based on ethnicity, tribalism quota system, those kind of petty considerations should not be at the front burner.
According to Ese James-Omokaro, recruitment of policemen should be based on merit, character of the individual.
There should be a reform, We should start from the recruitment process. Recruitment must be standardised. There must be a high level of professionalism while recruiting police officers, people of character.
She added that periodic medical and mental evaluation of these police officers should be carried out which could be once in four months.
“We cannot continue to lose lives all the time, we have to therefore ensure that we get it right this time. Periodic mental evaluation of these police officers. Once we do this, then I believe it will go a long way in ensuring that these situations do not reoccur.
Ese James-Omokaro said the issue is not being tackled from the root and we need to start immediately as we have a long way to go.
“The killing of APO six which occurred in 2005, It is 17 years now and justice have not been served.
“In 2017, two of the officers were found guilty, they have not been sentenced to death yet.
“The most senior officer, the person who gave the command, the courts found him innocent. An appeal has been filed against that particular judgment. But now, the police has reinstated that officer.
” The police itself, has been issuing statements condemning what has happened but are they really serious, determined to ensure that this kind of case does not reoccur.
“We need to look at the sincerity of the police as well.
“The world is watching and the Nigeria Police has to ensure that something is done to ensure such does not happen again.
“We want justice for this matter and this case should be followed to the latter,” She added.
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