After 37 years at the Bar, a Nigerian lawyer has learnt the hard way that these days, doing your job can get you beaten for it.
For 37 years, he had gone to work as a lawyer without being physically attacked for doing his job.
That changed today.
The Osun-based lawyer was at a parcel of land, carrying out what he described as the lawful instructions of his client when a group of thugs allegedly descended on him and assaulted him.
He told them he had no personal interest in the property and was prepared to return another day if they objected to the assignment. It made no difference.
The lawyer was beaten.
He has since reported the incident to the Nigerian Bar Association, Osogbo Branch, and received medical attention at a government hospital.
For him, the assault was more than a frightening encounter at a disputed property. After nearly four decades at the Nigerian Bar, he sees it as another sign of a profession whose authority and safety are steadily being eroded.
His anger goes beyond the men who allegedly attacked him.
In a statement following the incident, he questioned the state of the legal profession itself, pointing to what he described as the increasingly poor regard for lawyers in Nigeria and the calibre of some individuals invited to address NBA conferences.
His conclusion was stark:
“The Legal Profession in Nigeria is presently in a perilous state.”
And this time, the warning did not come from a conference podium.
It came from a lawyer lying in a hospital after being assaulted simply for carrying out his client’s instructions.
Read his statement below.
My name is Olufemi Ayandokun Esq.
Just today while at work on a parcel of land carrying out the lawful instructions of a client pursuant to a Deed of Conveyance in favour of the Client a traditional Ruler of note in Osun State, thugs in tow set at me and thoroughly assaulted me even as I pointed out to them I could take their brief some other day as I had no personal interest in the matter beyond my professional duties!
The NBA Osogbo has been duly informed and I have been to the government hospital to receive medical attention.
It speaks volumes about how well regarded Lawyers are in Nigeria especially these days when NBA Conferences have less than commendable individuals get invited to address the assemblage of Learned minds!
That happened to me for the first time today after 37 years at the Nigerian Bar!
The Legal Profession in Nigeria is presently in a perilous state!
In the meantime, my Client was also assaulted but not hurt physically. What saved the day for him was that he kept shouting:” I am a British citizen. If you touch me this matter will be escalated internationally.”😅.
The police who all the while were just standing by quickly rushed to his aid and prevented the thugs from beating him. The Monarch in question is HRM (OBA) OLAYINKA OYETUNDE ISHOLA JOKOTOLA III The Oludo of Ido-Osun a town close by Osogbo, Osun State.
He is a retired Police Officer who I suspect could manipulate the petition I am putting up right now to the Amotekun Corps who now have prosecutorial powers in Osun State.
Olufemi Ayandokun Esq.
