Lagos- Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (SAN) has lamented the wanton killings across the country, saying Nigeria is in a state of emergency.

The foremost lawyer in an interview with PUNCH at the weekend revealed how bandits killed his cousin in his farm in Ibadan, Oyo state capital after collecting ransom of N2 million.

While calling for a restructured Nigeria before the 2023 general elections, Olanipekun also challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to implement the report of the Nasir El- Rufai Committee report on True Federalism if the party is sincere about restructuring the country.

“We are in an emergency now, the sort we have never had before. I don’t want people to be pretending. People are being killed every day across the country”.

“I lost a brilliant cousin of mine. He studied an agricultural course and his father was the first professor of Agronomy in Africa. He’s from my town in Ikere-Ekiti. The father is an uncle of mine. The boy decided to be self-employed and he was doing well”.

“They (criminals) took him from his farm in Ibadan about two to three weeks ago. The kidnappers started asking for ransom. We found a way to raise the N2m they asked for. What did we see days after? His decomposed body. Let us not look away because it’s not our turn. Everybody says this evil will not be their portion, we pray. But let us have feelings for others. Let us show some semblance of love for our nation”.

“You also see a lot of people who have not been consistent. If you love your nation, you have to be consistent about your prognosis and views. When I talk about my nation, I talk as an elder who enjoyed Nigeria when it was good, when education was virtually free and there was liberty and security”.

“At my age and as a lawyer, I should be able to say the truth to power. Honestly, I feel bad about this country. Nigeria has a lot of fiends and a few friends and it’s sad that everybody wants to take advantage of this country”.

On those clamoring for zoning of the presidency in 2023, Olanipekun said without restructuring, Nigeria’s situation will be worse off than it was presently even if an Igbo man or Yoruba man succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Politicians can be very funny and arrogant about the future. It’s only God who owns 2023, but people are already talking about 2023, which is still two years away. By and large, if you want to be elected into any office in 2023, don’t you want to govern people that would be alive?”

“Then, you need a working document. We still have two years three months to May 2023 and that is enough time to do something. Failure to do that, if an Igbo man or a Yoruba man win, we will witness the same thing we are experiencing under President (Muhammadu) Buhari. Then, where are we going? Is that a way to build a country?”

“Many of us were busy trying to out-speak one another during the last election in the United States, whereas we don’t have a system or institutions here”.
The legal luminary who said the present constitution cannot take Nigeria anywhere also said during his tenure as NBA president, he led a team of lawyers to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the need to overhaul the constitution and even offered to assist him in doing so. He however said Obasanjo rejected the idea.

“I didn’t just start advocating for the restructuring of Nigeria yesterday; it’s been a long time that I have been calling for the overhauling, replacement and restructuring of the 1999 Constitution”.

“When I was the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, I led a team of lawyers to the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and among the things we suggested to him stoically and patriotically was the overhauling of the constitution”.

“We also volunteered to assist him, but he didn’t like it. I told him in clear terms that this constitution would not take us anywhere".
https://www.independent.ng/bandits-killed-my-cousin-after-collecting-n2m-ransom-olanipekun/

They are now speaking out after Fulani herdsmen attacked their family

Oga please write an open later to that man at the Button (Buhari)

Oga please, write an open letter to that man at the bottom (Buhari) He should know what to do....

Buhari read letter. even d one OBJ and Soyinka wrote, did he read it?

arsenal444:
Oga please write an open later to that man at the Button (Buhari)

You called kanu all sort of name when he was warning you,
Miscreant
Lunatic
Jobless
Albino
Illiterate
Now
Your education can’t save your brother
Self defense is a right
Am happy for formation of ESN



Once you give this herdsmen and bandit quick notice they went and hide behind religion and north and turn it to north vs south
And worst northerners will start threatening southerners
But they have never threaten boko haram,bandit,herdsmen and those corrupt leaders
They are happy with hisbah but mad at ESN
In no distance time even nairaland will beg ESN to secure their website
Know this and know peace

Banditry is now the next oil well and Bandits are field workers.

nairavsdollars:
Buhari read letter. even d one OBJ and Soyinka wrote, did he read it?

that man matter tire me like ashwo cotton

Kidnappers is big challenge.

Lybia where we find this type of situations, have the free right to hold guns so the respect themselves.

sir, u contributed in bringing PMB to Power and as a matter of fact, u re his Lawyer, go and meet him and complain to him..

God bless MNK
The man that gave Nigerians voice.

Your hate and badmouthing will not stop him

Buhari's silence on this isssue indicates his support for Fulani killers


Be wise, illiterates has taken over this platform

Don't judge a whole tribe simply because of individual opinion. Note that politicians laid tribalism foundation in this trap called country for their selfish interest. Now ask yourself, what is the population of politicians and their agents, and what is the population of neutral Nigerians.

Beware Nigerians. This is the time to know and understand the true identity of those who cause tribalism on here, they are paid agents, they are neither from east or west, some are not Nigerian. They have more than twenty monikers, they would create tribal related topics and make tribal comments with different monikers to cause chaos between southerners. Though, they have no conscience but you can try to educate them or better ignore them. They are easy to identify, use your head brothers.
They dominate this platform. They are evil and restless until their aim is achieved

2023, the year of "stone any bad politician".

This their banditry and kidnapping has religious undertone laced with passionate hatred

If only Nigerians know the true figure of those kidnapped or killed by these criminals.. I watched a video of a woman narrating her experience with d kidnappers who raped her daughter as well

While some state government are busy paying bandits they continue to kill innocent Nigerians unabated and unchallenged....

KoleDgreat2020:
sir, u contributed in bringing PMB to Power and as a matter of fact, u re his Lawyer, go and meet him and complain to him..

Complain to someone that can fix the issue of banditry in his home state or some his home state governor is paying bandits every week, that's who you expect him to complain to.....

Every honest Nigerians irrespective of tribes, religions and political affiliation should be worried about the murderous activities of these killer herdsmen and bandits. The fact that these kidnappers, bandits and killer herdsmen are on rampage and going about their killing sprees with impunity is a clear signal that something is seriously wrong with our security framework as a nation.

Is our DSS and military intelligence unit functioning? Why have they not been able to fish out the sponsors, and locations of theses bandits and killer herdsmen? Why can't they use drones and high-tech surveillance systems to track these killer herdsmen? Why can't they stop the influx of foreign killer herdsmen into Nigeria?

Another serious concern is the readiness of the Nigerian Army to protect us from external aggression. The bandits, kidnappers and killer herdsmen have declared war on Nigeria. They are occupying our forests and hills wrecking great harms to innocent Nigerians and farmers.

OUR MILLITARY CANNOT ENTER OUR FORRESTS TO CONFRONT THESE AGGRESSORS...….OUR GOVERNORS ARE NEGOTIATING WITH THESE CRIMINALS, WHILE WE ARE BUSY PLAYING POLITICS WITH OUR SECURITY. The truth is Nigeria is under attack! This is war!

Are we not ashamed of ourselves as a nation? If a small Africa country should attack us today, will our military be equal to the task? What is going on? Where is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces who sworn an oath to protect all Nigerians? For the first time in my life, I am afraid of being a Nigerian!

Are we looking at the direction that this killer Herders are leading the country to? Civil War!

Skynet45:
Fulanis are the main problem we have in this country

Simple and direct

arsenal444:
Oga please write an open later to that man at the Button (Buhari)

so that Fulani and their Yoruba sympathizers can insult him same way they did to obj?

Even though Fulanis and bandits are a pain in the ass, I have always supported anything that bring the pain of the poor man to the elite.

justosee:
so that Fulani and their Yoruba sympathizers can insult him same way they did to obj?

what do I know?

nobody is afraid of civil war. let them bring it

yanabasee1:
Are we looking at the direction that this killer Herders are leading the country to? Civil War!

nairavsdollars:
They are now speaking out after Fulani herdsmen attacked their family

toh they kept quiet when central Nigeria was battling evil and murderous herdsmen

quite unfortunate

Waooo
May God show us the end of these madness

Buhari is the best thing that happened to Lagos after AGEGE bread says Bourdillion

slivertongue:


toh they kept quiet when central Nigeria was battling evil and murderous herdsmen

read their history, them and north Africa have been invading conquering and establishing empires as far back as 4th century!

The Emirates in Northern Nigeria the most powerful influential and organised in the whole of West Africa originated/was established by an Islamic Scholar in the 19th century (1800s). From West to East Africa is same story.

nairavsdollars:
They are now speaking out after Fulani herdsmen attacked their family

Buhari's number one lawyer.

KoleDgreat2020:
sir, u contributed in bringing PMB to Power and as a matter of fact, u re his Lawyer, go and meet him and complain to him..

The result of practicing law without conscience