The Onitsha branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, to add free bail to his ongoing police reforms.
The lawyers said the issue of bail was an important one requiring urgent attention.
Chairman of the branch, Chidi Onyiuke, gave the advice while addressing Youth Corps lawyer members of the Nigerian Legal Aids Council during a one-day seminar on ‘Bail, Prison Decongestion in Nigeria and Rights of Inmates to Vote’.
“It not enough to say that bail is free, but when you go to the police stations people are cajoled to pay huge sums of money before they secure bail for themselves or their loved ones,” he said.
“If Inspector General of Police is serious about the on-going reforms and wants Nigerians to take him serious, he should ensure that the ‘parlance bail is free’ is made practical, by making sure that people are granted bail without making any kind of payment in the police stations.”
Onyiuke said lawyers were still compelled to pay certain amount of money to the police whenever they go to police stations to secure bail. He added that if the IG dismissed any police officer for demanding and accepting money before bail is granted it would serve as a deterrent to others.
Speaking on the issue of prison decongestion, he advised that careful approach should be taken in order for the released criminals not to cause mayhem by terrorising the public.
