…Tasks newly inaugurated NBA Executives.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the newly inaugurated executive of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to take decisive action against the indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens by the police and other law enforcement agencies.
In a statement on Sunday, Falana charged the NBA, led by its new President, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, to ensure that members of the Human Rights Committees of all 145 branches of the association accompany magistrates during their monthly visits and inspections of police stations across the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the visits were mandated by Section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and Section 70 of the Nigeria Police Force Establishment Act 2020, which require chief magistrates to conduct monthly visits to police stations in their respective magisterial districts.
Falana also cited Section 21 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, which empowers the NBA to serve as official visitors to correctional centres across the country.
He explained that during the visits, chief magistrates are empowered to inspect records of arrests at police stations, order that detained suspects be brought before a court for trial or formal arraignment where appropriate, and grant bail to suspects in deserving cases.
“Both laws have equally empowered judges of the Federal High Court to visit all other detention facilities in their areas of jurisdiction for the purpose of ensuring that suspects are not detained beyond the time stipulated by the Constitution.
“However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court has not designated the judges to visit detention facilities as stipulated by the law,” he said.
Falana also referred to a judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. Police Service Commission & Ors, delivered by Justice O. Y. Anowe.
He said the court declared that the police authorities have a mandatory duty to deploy officers who are legal practitioners to every police division in Nigeria to assist with the enforcement of human rights in policing, as provided under Section 66(3) of the Nigeria Police Act 2020.
“In line with the terms of this judgment, the new NBA leadership should ensure that police officers who are legal practitioners are assigned to every police station to monitor the observance of the human rights of suspects.
“In particular, the NBA should invoke the provisions of the relevant law to end the illegal arrest and detention of indigent citizens by the police and other law enforcement agencies,” Falana added.
Badejo-Okusanya was inaugurated as the NBA President on Friday, August 28, 2026, during the association’s Annual General Conference at the Port Harcourt High Court in Rivers State.
She was sworn in by her predecessor, Afam Osigwe (SAN), becoming the 33rd president of the association and the first woman to be directly elected to the position.
During her inauguration, Badejo-Okusanya pledged to pursue legal reforms, including the implementation of a pay increase for lawyers.
