The President of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), Mr. Kunle Ogunba SAN has expressed joy at the release of former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mr. Okey Wali SAN.

In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER by the recently appointed NLS Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bayo Akinlade, the President of the resurgent lawyers’ association, Mr. Kunle Ogunba SAN noted that “From the moment we heard of his kidnap in mid April 2023, we were in prayers for his safe return and followed up with keen interest on any developments as to plans for his rescue”.

Ogunba said that as he prepared his statement to congratulate the legal community on May Day, he received with joy the news of Wali’s release by his abductors.

He noted that “NLS is very concerned about the state of the Nation’s security framework, the protection of our citizens and the capacity of our security agencies to fully fulfil their duty to the citizens and the nation as a whole,” adding that “It is a priority to us at NLS as we are committed to providing support to our security agencies and welcome collaboration with other stakeholders to improve our national security integrity, framework and infrastructure.”

Ogunba vowed that NLS was committed to the welfare and professional development of lawyers within the security/intelligence community, with a view to strengthening the legal framework that will make policing much more effective in Nigeria.

He urged lawyers and judges to be vigilant and alert to happenings in their surroundings, adding that they should not venture into places they are not familiar with.

CITY LAWYER recalls that the NLS has been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with the NBA since its emergence last October, leading the NBA National Executive Council (NBA-NEC) to suspend its statutory member and former General Secretary, Mr. Nimi Walson-Jack over his involvement with the nascent association.

Aside from Walson-Jack who also doubles as the NLS Vice President, other members of its Executive Committee are Mr. Abdulqadir Sani, Secretary; Mr. Olasupo Ojo, Welfare Secretary, and Mrs. Chioma Ferguson, Treasurer. Others are Mr. Zara Yakubu, Financial Secretary; Mrs. Alice Awonugba, Assistant Secretary, and Mr. Hassan Sheriff, Assistant Publicity Secretary. Akinlade recently replaced pioneer NLS Publicity Secretary, Mr. Douglas Ogbankwa who resigned from the position.