The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Tuesday, questioned the identity of the supposed lawyers who protested what they called the illegal approach of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in handling its allegations against former Governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello.
The NBA said the protesters were “not lawyers.”
No fewer than 500 legal practitioners from across the country on Monday, April 22, 2024, stormed the Supreme Court complex.
Campaigning under the aegis of judicial watchdogs, they faulted the siege on the ex-Governor’s residence, in a bid to arrest him, saying there was a valid court order to the contrary, which had not been vacated.
But reacting to the incident, the NBA’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Habeeb Lawal, told Nigerian Current that the group of protesters were not lawyers.
The notice reads: “The above report refers.
“The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is aware that some news outlets have reported this news.
“Please be informed that while the NBA respects the rights of citizens to assemble and protest, we insist that this particular group of persons are not lawyers.
“For completeness, their supposed leader or convener Sylvanus K. Alewu is not a name known to us,” he said.
Last Thursday, the EFCC declared Bello wanted.
It said Bello, 48, was wanted in connection with an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089,88.
The Commission published the notice online via a flyer posted on its official Facebook page on Thursday, April 18.
It urged anyone with useful information as to his whereabouts to contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja offices, or any other law enforcement agency.
