The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okungbowa was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on September 25 at Ekpoma, Edo State.
The President of the NBA, Mr. Okey Wali (SAN), told NAN that the development was “worrisome” and that urgent steps should be taken to arrest it. Wali said it was incomprehensible why gunmen have suddenly resorted to abducting members of the judiciary.
“The situation is really disturbing. I do not understand why their acts are now directed at members of the judiciary; this is indeed a source of serious concern for our nation,” he said. He, therefore, urged the government to ensure that a more efficient security network was provided for judges in the country.
The chairman, NBA Lagos branch, Mr. Alex Muoka, also condemned the act, expressing dissatisfaction with the state of security in the country.
Muoka said that lawyers and judges were members of the larger society, and that the spread of kidnapping should be checked. He urged the government to be decisive on matters touching on security, in the interest of public safety.
Mr. Nelson Ogbuanya, a Nigerian representative of the American Bar Association (ABA), and first Vice Chairman, NBA Lagos, described the incident as a ”bad omen.”
According to Ogbuanya, the abduction of a member of the bench only deposits fear and anxiety in the minds of members of the bar and bench.
“The recent development is very unfortunate as it will only succeed in making other judges feel threatened to carry out their statutory duties. “I wonder if lawyers and judges are now being abducted because of the position they occupy.
It is a bad omen which calls for urgent remedy,” Ogbuanya said. He called on security agencies to take drastic steps in forestalling future occurrences.
A Lagos based lawyer and social critic, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, also condemned the act, saying that it was “barbaric.”
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/48337.html
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