The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), Dr. Monday Ubani, has advised lawyers to be circumspect over calls for the cancellation of the 2022 Conference scheduled for Sokoto.
Some lawyers have been calling for a cancellation of the event in protest against the murder of a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education by irate youths in Sokoto, Deborah Samuel.
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This is even as the State Governor, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has continued to intensify efforts towards ensuring the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
Tambuwal, after the unfortunate incident, met with the Chairman of the state chapter of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) , Rev. Nuhu Iliya, before meeting with the Council of Ulamas in the State.
The Governor has also met with other stakeholders, political and religious leaders, opinion molders in the state on the need to ensure peaceful coexistence residents of the state.
But according to the Chairman of the NBA section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Dr. Ubani in a statement in Abuja, it is preposterous for lawyers to call for the cancellation of the 2022 NBA-SPIDEL Conference scheduled to hold in Sokoto in protest against the killing of Deborah which was carried out by law breakers in the state.
He also said “the barbaric act was not authorized or approved by the State Government to our knowledge. In fact the State Government has issued a statement condemning the act and requested that the crime perpetrators be brought to book.
“Arrest of two persons have been made and we await the outcome of the process. Gentlemen let us all be circumspect over the sad Sokoto incident.
“The barbaric Killing is condemnable as no individual has any right, under our present jurisprudence, to take life except in accordance with due process.”
Ubani noted that “assuming but not conceding that the said lady has committed a written and known crime, the state alone has the requisite power to prosecute and punish the alleged crime. Extra judicial killing is not allowed by our laws.”
He therefore said: “It is absolutely wrong for our colleagues, without locus, to be calling for boycott of the conference when the state government that is hosting is not complicit in this heinous crime unless there is evidence to the contrary.
“It is like asking for conferences billed for Owerri to be cancelled because of the killings of two army personnel(husband and wife) by unknown gunmen or asking that we cancel conferences in Abuja because of some of the killings that have taken place there recently. Is there any sound logic to such rash requests?” He asked.
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