Nothing short of instant and visible justice against the policeman, who shot and killed Bolanle Raheem, a female lawyer in Lagos on Christmas day, would assuage her colleagues at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which said it was monitoring the situation.
Vowing to ensure that it would extract that justice at whatever cost, the body regretted the incident, wondering how such a good woman would be cut down in her prime.
Raheem, was said to have mowed down in a hail of bullets released by a police officer, while inside a vehicle with her husband in the Ajah area of Lagos State and was declared dead at the hospital where she was rushed, while the officer said to be an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who was said to have attempted to flee was caught and detained.
NBA spokesman, Akorede Lawal, who described the incident as unfortunate, added that the President of the association, Yakubu Maikyau, was monitoring the situation, regretting however that the deceased died in the incident.
He said through his Twitter handle: “We are aware of this unfortunate incident. This is yet another crime against a lawyer. Regrettably, our member is gone. The NBA President @YCMaikyauSAN is right on this and we shall ensure that justice is duly served.”
Spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, a Superintendent of Police (SP), however, said the officer responsible for the killing and others have been taken into custody.
He tweeted: “Unfortunate and avoidable incident that was. The ASP that shot and two others with him have since been taken into custody. They are to be moved to the SCID for further investigation. The Lagos State Police Command condoles with the family, friends and colleagues of Barrister Bolanle Raheem. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Abiodun Alabi, has been in touch with the family and the Nigerian Bar Association since yesterday and has given firm assurances that justice will definitely prevail.”