Human Rights Lawyer Ozekhome Abducted

Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome
has been kidnapped along Benin-Auchi road
in Edo State. A statement by Abdul Mahmud, President,
Public Interest Lawyers League, PILL, in
Abuja confirmed the development. “Last night(Friday), news broke that Mike
Ozekhome(SAN) had been kidnapped by
unknown persons as he travelled on the
now notorious Ehor stretch of the Beni-
Auchi motorway. And with the sad news now
long confirmed by the Edo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, there has been
no indication of his whereabouts or that of
his driver who was seized with him. “Ozekhome (SAN), my former principal and
a personal friend, is the suave, outspoken
Lagos lawyer whose contributions to
constitutional and public laws are well too
known; and it is tragic, and if not unheard
of, for anyone to have seized him, held him captive against his will. Ozekhome, like
many Nigerians who are today held captive
by kidnappers everywhere, doesn’t deserve
the bestiality of those he has dedicated
many years of his outspoken forthrightness
to defend, nor does he deserve the mistreatment of gun totting scum who have
seized our roads and our country. I call on
those holding Ozekhome captive to release
him immediately and unconditionally. The statement said further; “there’s a wider
point to be made here. The kidnap of
Ozekhome highlights the growing insecurity
in Edo state and in our country; and the
government and security agencies must live
up to their responsibility of securing public safety” Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo also
confirmed the kidnap of Ozekhome. “I have just received with shock, the news
of the kidnap of my learned friend and
brother, Chief Mike Ozekhome…,” Festus
Keyamo said in a statement, Saturday. However, he described the incident as “one
kidnap too many and it further draws local
and international attention to the poor state
of security in our country.” “It also highlights the state of joblessness
among youths in our country which is one
reason why they turn to this dangerous
trade for their livelihood,” he said. Keyamo therefore appealed to the
kidnappers to release Ozekhome, a senior
lawyer and staunch critic of corrupt and bad
governments in Nigeria. Police spokesman Frank Mba told AFP a
manhunt had been launched for the
kidnappers. “Police are on the trail of the gunmen and
we will do everything humanly and
operationally possible to ensure that the
learned lawyer is released unharmed,” Mba
said.