The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has demanded for the protection of the mother of a 22-yearold boy allegedly killed by one of the security aides attached to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State.

This is contained in a petition to the state’s Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday. Mr Enome Amatey, Chairman, Cross River branch, NBA, said in the petition that the deceased mother, Mrs Victoria Mba, and her family have faced intimidation and harassment in their quest for justice over the death.

The lawyers also demanded for a transparent investigation into the alleged killing, and that the attempt to label the deceased as mentally ill without verifiable medical evidence must cease immediately. The bar said the attempt undermined the integrity of the investigation and the dignity of the human person of the deceased.

According to the petition, the alleged extrajudicial killing of Moses Mba by police officers erodes public trust in the Nigerian Police Force and raises critical issues of accountability, transparency and justice. “Furthermore, the reported attempt to stigmatise the deceased as mentally ill without credible evidence appears to be an affront to his dignity and an apparent effort to subvert the truth and exculpate the officers responsible from responsibility.