Bolanle Raheem: NBA demands N5bn compensation for slain lawyer’s family
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) says it will demand at least N5 billion in compensation for the murder of one of its members, Bolanle Raheem.
It would be recalled that Drambi Vandi allegedly killed Mrs Raheem, an expectant mother on Christmas Day.
The officer, an assistant superintendent of police, is attached to the Ajiwe police division in the Ajah area of the state.
In a statement signed by the Lagos branch chairman, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, NBA also said it will monitor the trial to ensure that justice prevails.
“The NBA will seek for payment of damages not less than five billion naira in addition to the prosecution of the killer Cop,” the statement reads.
The senior lawyer in the statement said he has been appointed to lead the team of lawyers for the NBA that will monitor the trial of the killer cop.
“The NBA Lagos in conjunction with the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Y.C. Mikyau, SAN, has decided to be part of the prosecution of the policeman as part of its efforts towards securing quick and effective justice for the family of the deceased,” he said.
“In this regard, the NBA will be partnering with the Ministry of Justice during the trial. Mr. Adegboruwa has in turn obtained relevant briefing from the Hon Attorney-General of Lagos State and has secured the assurances of an accelerated prosecution once the case file is received from the police.
“The NBA is also seeking monetary compensation for the family of Mrs Raheem from the government of Lagos State, the Federal Government and indeed the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission, through its Human Rights Committee.”
The former member of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry also urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to “follow the model that he (Mr Sanwo-Olu) adopted during the EndSARS Judicial Panel to pay compensation to the family of Mrs. Raheem immediately since it is an established fact that her life was terminated illegally by a policeman.”
He called for the immediate implementation of the recommendations made by the EndSars panel.
The judicial panel was set up by the Lagos State government in the wake of the #EndSARS protest against police brutality in October 2020 to investigate the excesses of the dissolved Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad and the Lekki shootings.
