Nigeria Content Online

The President of
the West Africa Bar Association, Mousa Coulibaly, yesterday, disclosed
the readiness of his association to provide legal assistance to family
members of victims of the Boko Haram murder.

Mr. Coulibaly, who
said this in an exclusive interview at the association’s secretariat in
Abuja during the formal handing over of the leadership of the group to
him, condemned the killings of the Boko Haram members by the Nigerian
Police.

A Maiduguri High
Court recently awarded a compensation of 100 million naira to the
family of Baa Fagu, a victim of the extra judicial killings, who was
arrested and killed in police custody for being a father-in-law to the
Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf. The group was involved in violent
clashes with the police and men of the Nigerian Army, resulting in the
death of several members of the group and many police and army
personnel.

While outlining the
plans of his administration and praising the previous administration
led by Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, Mr. Coulibaly stated that his
administration would focus on “the promotion and defence of human
rights, rule of law, and the defence of democracy within the ECOWAS
space.”

The WABA boss, who
promised to build a strong relationship between the bar associations of
the various West African countries, also condemned the military coup in
his home country of Niger, while explaining that the actions of the
former democratic leadership caused the coup.

Monitor elections

The new WABA
President said that his association will always help to monitor
elections in the West African sub-region, to ensure that they are
transparent and meet international standards. He explained that they
had already commenced plans for this.

“WABA has just
written to the president of the ECOWAS Commission to be included in the
team of election monitors in the elections to take place in Guinea on
July 24.”

The other members of the new WABA executive are Joseph Camara, first
vice president, who is also the president of Sierra Leone Bar
Association; Waidi Moustapha, 2nd vice president, and also former
president, Benin Bar Association; Olawale Fapohunda, Secretary General,
and member of the Nigeria Bar Association; Sidiki Camara, deputy
secretary general, who is also the secretary, Guinea Bar Association;
and Ogugua Ikpeze, treasurer, and also former treasurer of the Nigeria
Bar Association.