The former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, has expressed deep concern over the abduction of a newly called female lawyer and her sister along the Okene axis in Kogi State. Describing the incident as a “painful scar on the nation’s conscience,” Akangbe lamented how a joyful Call to Bar celebration has been overshadowed by fear, grief, and uncertainty for the victims and their families.
In a strongly worded statement, the Senior Advocate urged security agencies to act with urgency and compassion in securing the safe release of the abducted victims. He stressed that the true measure of leadership lies in ensuring the safety and dignity of citizens, warning that Nigerian highways must not continue to serve as hunting grounds for kidnappers.
Read full statement below;
The abduction of some of our young colleagues, including a newly called female lawyer and her sister, along the Okene axis in Kogi State, is another painful scar on our nation’s conscience. A Call to Bar, which should have been a celebration of hope and achievement, has been turned into a season of tears and uncertainty.
When our highways become hunting grounds for kidnappers, we must ask ourselves: what kind of society are we building? The measure of any nation is not in the splendour of its ceremonies, but in the safety and dignity it guarantees to its citizens.
I appeal to our security agencies to act with urgency and compassion, not only to secure the release of these young women, but also to reassure Nigerians that our roads are not death traps. Leadership is a sacred trust, and that trust is betrayed when ordinary Nigerians cannot move freely in their own country.
May God grant the victims safe return, strengthen their families in this dark hour, and touch the hearts of those in authority to rise above rhetoric and restore faith in the NIgerian Project.
Signed:
Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb(UK)
Former Chairman NBA Lagos Branch
