“After so many years after call to bar and working in the police legal department, we are abandoned. Our fellow colleagues like Doctors, Engineers and Accountants are given preference. They are quickly promoted to rank of SP but we the lawyers will clamor and write to IGP or PSC, but nothing for us. We are still junior officers while our counterparts in other Professions are far ahead in rank even when we went to school and got called to bar years ahead before them”
While the NBA leadership continues to find it’s bearing regarding its core purpose, many members are frustrated by the lack of real leadership within the Bar Association.
The NBA membership transcends beyond lawyers in private practice. However, the NBA leadership is not looking at it’s members’ needs and seem not to understand what the Association stands for hence Lawyers are beginning to form various groups within the profession to project their unique and collective interests.
Lawyers in the Police are one of such groups formed to fight for lawyers within the police force.
Lawyers within the police have over the years reached out to me regarding their peculiar situation. One of the most recent interaction is with a colleague whose story I share after this intervention
MY INTERVENTION
As the convener of Duty Solicitors Network, working closely with the Police in ensuring the proper administration of Criminal Justice system in Nigeria, I want to call on the *National Welfare Secretary* of the NBA to immediately meet with the Lawyers in the Police to plot a strategy to engage with the leadership of the Police to resolve all their concerns.
I will in my personal capacity also push for better working conditions for our lawyers within the police force as well as those working in government.
A POLICE LAWYER STORY
Please we have a matter that affect our job, our future, our retirement, in fact even at the moment.
I reach out to you for myself and on behalf of my learned friends in their various formations as rank and file lawyers in Nigeria police
Please we appeal to you Sir, to let our NBA president know our plight. We are despised and neglected, our self esteem is crushed for we are rated in our organisation as equivalent of cleaners, clerks and messengers as is the ranking in civil service whereas we are professional deserving to be placed as senior officers.
Our lawyers working in police majority of us rank and file till date even when we are have spent so many years practicing law and working for police. We are still sergeants and corporals.
Our authorities ignored our request to be elevated to senior cadre ever since 2012. From then till now we are still making appeals but no result. Even to police service commission, no result. But in the meantime, in 2016, the rank and file medical doctors were all elevated to senior officer rank of DSP.
Then while we were complaining of their neglect of us, in April 2022, our rank and file Engineers in police were all elevated to rank of SP because they are regarded as Professionals.
Assist us in this respect.
Myself and my colleagues near and far across pray for your assistance over this matter.
As the NEC Meeting of the NBA is coming up, we bring our plight to you for assistance. We have been in fear all the while but we must speak up now.
We have been oppressed and marginalized for so many years as lawyers in the police.
After so many years after call to bar and working in the police legal department, we are abandoned. Our fellow colleagues like Doctors, Engineers and Accountants are given presence. They are quickly promoted to rank of SP but we the lawyers will clamor and write to IGP or PSC, but nothing for us. We are still junior officers while our counterparts in other Professions are far ahead in rank even when we went to school and got called to bar years ahead before them.
Please Sir, we want this issue discussed and deliberated at the coming NBA NEC for we have tried on our own without success.
