December 30, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos branch, has said it would seek at least N5 billion from the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force as compensation for the family of Mrs Bolanle Raheem, the slain lawyer shot dead by police on Christmas day.
THEWILL had reported that Raheem was allegedly shot dead on Christmas Day by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, in the Ajah area of Lagos State
While ASP Vandi is currently in custody, the NBA in a statement by the branch chairman, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), urged the government and the relevant authorities to go beyond issuing “mere press statements of lamentations on the gruesome murder of Mrs Raheem and to accelerate the prosecution of the killer and payment of compensation to the family of the deceased and all other victims of police brutality.
The statement read in part: “The NBA will seek for payment of damages not less than five billion naira in addition to the prosecution of the killer Cop.
“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 Hon 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,” he said.
Adegboruwa, an ex-member of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry, also urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to “follow the model that he (Mr. Sanwo-Olu) adopted during the EndSARS Judicial Panel to pay compensation to the family of Mrs. Raheem immediately since it is an established fact that her life was terminated illegally by a policeman.”
