Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Akure branch of the Nigerian Bar Association has formally petitioned the Ondo State Police Command over what it describes as the persistent harassment, intimidation, and molestation of lawyers at police stations while they carry out their professional duties representing clients. The complaint was raised on Thursday, September 17, 2026, when the newly inaugurated executive of the branch, led by its Chairman, Oju Kekemeke, paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, at the command headquarters in Akure. In a statement made available to journalists on Friday, Kekemeke said the situation had become a recurrent source of friction between lawyers and police officers in the state, and he called for a structured mechanism to resolve disputes before they escalate into open conflict.
Kekemeke framed the relationship between lawyers and the police as one of complementary roles rather than natural adversaries. “The starting point is mutual respect for our professions,” he said. “The lawyer must respect the Police in his line of duty. The police must also respect the lawyer as an advocate and solicitor in line with his call. It is this understanding and collaboration that can enable us to work together in our shared institutional responsibility by making the Administration of Criminal Justice Law work in practice, from arrest and investigation through prosecution and trial.” His emphasis on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law was deliberate. The law, enacted in Ondo State in 2015, was designed to streamline criminal justice delivery, protect suspects’ rights, and reduce the delays that have historically plagued the system. Its effective implementation depends on cooperation between the police, prosecutors, and defence counsel. When lawyers are harassed at stations, that cooperation breaks down, and the law’s protections become theoretical rather than practical.
The NBA chairman’s specific complaints were both procedural and personal. He said some lawyers had been “harassed, intimidated, and at times molested” at police stations while representing clients. He did not name individual officers or provide specific case details in the statement, but the language suggests a pattern rather than isolated incidents. He proposed that the association be directly communicated with whenever the police have issues with any of its members, rather than allowing disputes to fester. “If for whatever reason the police have issues with any of our members, we propose that our association be directly communicated for proper engagement of such issues to avoid recurrent conflicts,” he said. This request reflects a broader frustration within the legal profession that individual lawyers are often left to defend themselves against institutional pressure, without the backing of their professional body.
The most concrete grievance raised by the NBA was the command’s policy requiring lawyers to surrender their mobile phones before entering police stations. Kekemeke argued that the policy undermines lawyers’ ability to represent their clients effectively. “The lawyers’ phone is more than a gadget; it is a mobile library, it is a repository of information, mostly clients’ confidential information, and much more,” he said. He acknowledged that reasonable screening and restrictions on photography or recording within sensitive areas may be justified, but he insisted that the mere possession of a phone should not become an impediment to a lawyer having access to his client. The policy, as described, raises significant questions about legal privilege. A lawyer’s phone may contain case notes, witness statements, statutory references, and confidential communications with clients. Requiring surrender of the device before entering a station effectively strips the lawyer of the tools needed to provide competent representation. It also creates a practical barrier to the kind of spontaneous legal advice that suspects are entitled to receive during interrogation.
The NBA’s proposals for reform were comprehensive. Kekemeke called for regular Police-NBA criminal justice coordination meetings to address issues including lawful arrests, protection of suspects’ rights, access to counsel during statement-taking, investigations, legal advice, detention, bail and bond procedures, and human rights compliance. He also proposed monthly inspections of police detention facilities and joint training programmes for lawyers and police officers. These proposals are not novel. They reflect long-standing recommendations from legal reform advocates who have argued that Nigeria’s criminal justice system suffers not from a lack of laws but from a lack of implementation. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act at the federal level and its state equivalents contain detailed provisions on arrest, bail, and the rights of suspects. The problem is that these provisions are often ignored at the station level, where police officers exercise enormous discretion with limited oversight.
Commissioner Ohagwu’s response was measured and conciliatory. He said the effective administration of criminal justice required the complementary efforts of the police, legal practitioners, and other stakeholders. He welcomed the proposal for stronger collaboration and assured the lawyers of the command’s readiness to sustain “professional engagement, improve communication and support initiatives that promote justice, accountability and the rule of law.” His language was diplomatic, but it did not commit the command to any specific policy change, including the phone surrender rule. The test of the meeting’s significance will be whether the proposed coordination meetings and inspections actually take place, and whether the phone policy is reviewed.
The tension between the NBA and the Ondo police is not new. In May 2026, the Okitipupa branch of the NBA faulted a directive reportedly issued by the Commissioner of Police requiring lawyers to obtain approval before petitions could be treated as urgent. The branch described the directive as unlawful and inconsistent with the Administration of Criminal Justice Law. In January 2026, a Lagos and Ondo-based law firm petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Service Commission over an alleged assault on a lawyer by a Divisional Police Officer in Ondo State. Those incidents suggest a pattern of friction that predates the current command leadership. Ohagwu assumed duty as the 47th Commissioner of Police in Ondo State in May 2026, taking over from Adebowale Lawal. His tenure is still relatively young, and the NBA’s visit represents an early opportunity to reset the relationship.
The dispute in Ondo is part of a broader national conversation about the treatment of lawyers by security agencies. In September 2026, the NBA and the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, agreed to establish a direct communication channel to address complaints against lawyers and prevent disputes between legal practitioners and police officers from escalating. The NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, has repeatedly expressed concern over what he describes as growing judicial intimidation of lawyers and abuse of police powers. The National Litigation Committee has released a helpline for lawyers to report maltreatment by security agencies. These national mechanisms provide a framework within which the Ondo dispute can be addressed, but their effectiveness depends on the willingness of state commands to engage in good faith.
For lawyers practising in Akure and across Ondo State, the outcome of the NBA’s engagement with the police command will determine whether they can represent their clients without fear of harassment. The right to counsel is not a privilege granted by the police. It is a constitutional guarantee. When lawyers are intimidated at stations, it is not just their professional dignity that suffers. It is the rights of every suspect who depends on them. The NBA has made its case. The police commissioner has promised to engage. The coming weeks will show whether words translate into action or whether the cycle of complaint and conciliatory response continues without meaningful change.
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