The Akure Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association has asked the Ondo State Police Command to address alleged harassment of lawyers and reconsider a policy said to require legal practitioners to surrender their mobile phones before gaining access to police stations.
Branch Chairman Oju Kekemeke raised the concerns during a visit by the newly elected branch executive to the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu.
The NBA argued that lawyers’ phones may contain privileged and confidential communications relating to clients and cases, and that blanket restrictions could interfere with counsel’s ability to provide effective representation.
The branch also called for improved collaboration between lawyers and the police in implementing the Administration of Criminal Justice Law and protecting the rights of persons in custody.
The development comes amid a wider national conversation over phones, recordings, privacy and the rights of citizens and lawyers during encounters with law-enforcement officers.
Source: PUNCH
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