Senior lawyer and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Prosecutor at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), Mr. Jibrin Okutepa SAN has raised concerns over the plight of embattled young lawyer, Miss Uduak Adams.

Uduak had in an exclusive interview with CITY LAWYER narrated how she was almost lynched by an irate Lagos mob over a phantom allegation of kidnapping.

CITY LAWYER gathered that Uduak has been in and out of hospital since the near-death incident, even as she is billed for an appointment with a neurosurgeon to assess the damage to her head. 

Okutepa asked whether her principal did enough to ameliorate her accommodation challenges, even as he wondered whether NBA is sufficiently catering for its members.

He also berated “NBA politicians” for turning the incident into a political platform of “notice me,” adding that this smacks of “hypocrisy.”

His words: “Those nurturing political ambitions are at the forefront of sending goodwill messages. It seems to me that NBA politicians have turned the misfortunes of Uduak Etim Adams into a political platform of “notice me”. Everyone is sending messages of concern.

“For me this is hypocrisy. What Ms Uduak Etim Adams needs is not political goodwill messages or political suggestions. She needs money to put herself together and face the challenges of life. Churning out messages of sympathy is as hypocritical as is unhelpful. NBA must not be turned to conventional secular politics where deceits of monumental propaganda and proportions are practiced to get votes.”

Below is the full text of his statement.

Since I listened to the voice message and read the report of a young lawyer Uduak Etim Adams Esq on how she narrowly escaped death in Lagos because she was searching for accommodation and was falsely accused of being a kidnapper, and was almost mobbed to death, I concluded that only God is our protector and defender in Nigeria.

We profess to love ourselves but the majority of people have no love in their hearts. Just shout “thief” in Nigeria, nobody will care to listen to the victim. You can just be killed unjustly. There is mob injustice in Nigeria, but my main focus is not the mob action. God has saved the poor girl, God has protected her.

My main focus is twofold. Where was Ms Uduak Etim Adams working?
How come the principal of Ms. Uduak Etim Adams could not do more for her than merely give her transport? Did Ms. Uduak Etim Adams discuss her accommodation plight with her principal? Did she open up to senior lawyers to assist her? As senior lawyers, we must at all times stand in locus parentis for the younger members of the Bar.

I am just curious to know why the principal could not be of help to her, to necessitate her moving around in the manner that led to the unfortunate incident. What branch of the NBA did she belong to? What did the branch do? Did she let any senior know of her challenges? We must be ourselves, keepers. How are we as NBA taking her plight and the plights of others? It could happen to anyone of the lawyers. What are our plans for ourselves as a Professional Association? NBA must look inward and help Nigerian lawyers.

The second point I want to make is the politicization of the unfortunate incident that happened to Uduak Etim Adams Esq. Those nurturing political ambitions are at the forefront of sending goodwill messages. It seems to me that NBA politicians have turned the misfortunes of Uduak Etim Adams into a political platform of “notice me”. Everyone is sending messages of concern.

For me this is hypocrisy. What Ms Uduak Etim Adams needs is not political goodwill messages or political suggestions. She needs money to put herself together and face the challenges of life. Churning out messages of sympathy is as hypocritical as is unhelpful. NBA must not be turned to conventional secular politics where deceits of monumental propaganda and proportions are practiced to get votes.

Those who turned to emergency sympathizers just because of votes are with respect not representing the nobility and good image of gentlemen of the Bar. Let Ms. Uduak Etim Adams and others in her shoes be helped now.

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