Deborah Yakubu: NBA cancels conference
The Story
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called off its conference that was scheduled to hold in Sokoto State, in reaction to the brutal killing of Deborah Yakubu.
When was the conference scheduled for?
With the theme, ‘Rule of Law and Democratic Evolution in Nigeria’, the conference had been scheduled to hold in Sokoto between May 22 and 26. Nigerians have expressed outrage over the murder, including prospective participants of the planned conference. Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, was one of the participants who called for the cancellation of conference, to the displeasure of some others who dismissed the call for cancellation.
Who are those others?
Chairman of the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) of the NBA, Monday Ubani, in a statement, described the calls for the cancellation of the conference as “preposterous.” Ubani insisted that the conference go on because the murder was not authorized by the Sokoto State Government. But in a statement yesterday, the NBA President, Olumide Akpata announced the calling of the conference.
Security Concerns in Sokoto
The NBA’s decision was linked to the current tense atmosphere in Sokoto State. “The NBA is deeply worried not just by the chilling news of the murder of Miss Deborah Yakubu, but also by the sudden and sad turn of events and the deteriorating security situation in Sokoto State,” Akpata said, adding that the NBA is worried by yet-to-be-confirmed reports that the suspects have been charged with “mere breach of public peace in an episode that cut short Deborah’s life in her prime”.
