*Alleges Police Extortion Attempt: “They Wanted N100,000, Not Legal Representation
Lawyers under the Jos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are preparing a petition to the national leadership of the association, the Inspector-General of Police, and key human rights institutions over what they described as the unlawful detention of their colleague, Barrister Hero Tawal Habila, by officers attached to the Police Eagle Eye Unit, Abattoir, Jos.
According to a report by Daily Independent, the incident occurred on Saturday, May 11, 2025, when Barristers Hero Tawal Habila and Jerry Chaka visited the police station to offer legal representation to their clients. The lawyers were allegedly denied access, insulted, and in the case of Habila, detained without justification.
Speaking to Daily Independent, Barrister Kyenret Comfort Mimang, a member of the NBA Jos Branch, said the two lawyers had gone to the police facility to perform their “constitutional duty” of defending their clients but were instead obstructed by officers who refused to grant them access.
She further disclosed that while one of the lawyers attempted to place a phone call to the Officer-in-Charge (O/C) Legal for intervention, a plainclothes officer shouted aggressively that “not even the Inspector-General of Police” could compel them to allow the lawyers entry.
The report adds that officers soon began threatening to detain the lawyers, labeling them “useless,” while boasting that they routinely detain legal practitioners without consequences. It was in this hostile atmosphere that relatives of the suspects advised Barrister Jerry Chaka to leave the premises for his own safety.
Narrating the events to Daily Independent, Chaka said:
“We identified ourselves as lawyers, and these were the relatives of suspects in police custody. We were asked to leave the premises as the officers claimed they were busy. We waited nearly an hour. Eventually, Barrister Habila was summoned, his phone was seized and accessed, and soon after, he was dragged into a cell without any explanation.”
Chaka alleged that the officers were more concerned about extorting money from the suspects’ relatives than respecting due process.
“One of the officers asked for ₦100,000 from the relatives and questioned why lawyers were even involved. They wanted to make it clear that negotiating with the police—not legal representation—was the only way out,” he stated.
The situation, according to the report, reflects a deeper crisis in police conduct and a growing disregard for the constitutional rights of both detainees and their legal representatives. “It is a deliberate affront to the justice system,” said Mimang, who confirmed that petitions are being drafted.
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