A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, is to lead the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to monitor the trial of ASP Drambi Vandi, the policeman that shot and killed Mrs Omobolanle Raheem in Lagos on December 25, 2022.
According to CaseFile, Adegboruwa, who is also a rights activist, said in a statement on Thursday that the association would also seek monetary compensation for the family of the deceased from the relevant government agencies.
On Christmas Day, 25 December 2022, Mrs Raheem was shot and killed in the Ajah area of Lagos State in her car on her way back from an outing with her family.
Adegboruwa said that the Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch to which Mrs Raheem belongs, Mr Ikechukwu Uwana, has contacted him to lead the team of lawyers for the NBA that will monitor the trial of the killer cop.
The statement read: “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.”
He also informed that 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 payment of damages not less than five billion naira in addition to the prosecution of the killer cop.
Adegboruwa has in addition urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to follow the model that he 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.
The lawyer also called for the immediate implementation of the EndSARS Judicial Panel Report in which far-reaching recommendations were made in relation to 1. Psychological orientation for all police officers in the handling and use of weapons; 2. Training for police officers on basic human rights observance and enforcement; 3. Improving the welfare of all police officers in terms of their take-home pay, conditions of service, places of work and residences in order to make them more conducive; 4. Recruitment of more police officers to reduce the pressure upon the existing officers whose number is not adequate to effectively police the country.
Adegboruwa stated further that it is unacceptable that the issues that led to the 5 for 5 demands of the youths and the EndSARS protests in 2020 have not been addressed despite repeated promises from the government.
He urged the government and the relevant authorities to go beyond 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.