A human rights organization, under the aegis of Women Arise for Change Initiative, has called on lawyers who are handling the case involving the gruesome murder of one Mr. Oyelowo Oyediran not to throw justice to the wind but overlook every professional attachment to the suspected murderer and let justice follow its due course.
Mr. Oyediran was said to be murdered by his wife, Mrs. Yewande Oyediran, in Ibadan, following a domestic disagreement which degenerated into violence and leading to the wife, a lawyer, allegedly killing the husband in the process.
The group, which expressed dismay at the incidence, said it is saddening that a domestic argument could degenerate to the wife terminating the life of her husband, noting that no subject of argument was worth taking the life of another for, even as it said murder was not an acceptable response in times of disagreement.
In a statement made available to The Trent on Monday, April 18, 2016, the group said murder is a grievous crime in Nigeria, hence it must be treated by the legal luminaries as such and not handled with professional solidarity.
In the statement signed by Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, president of Women Arise for Change Initiative, the group said there are insinuations that the perpetrator, being a lawyer, would be treated with preferences and justice could be hindered for professional solidarity.
The group said it would treat that as insinuation, saying rather than showing solidarity for a murderer, it should be solidarity for justice.
The group said in the statement, “If utmost solidarity was betrayed by a wife in a matrimonial union, such that she arbitrarily terminated the life of her husband according to the allegation, she should not be accorded solidarity of profession.
“We call on all reasonable and well-meaning lawyers to only take sides with objectivity and justice. As humans, every of our actions today are making a draft of history for tomorrow. I believe every lawyer would rather be on the good side of history by supporting justice.
“Sentiments would certainly deny justice and empower impunity, but this is a rather symbolic case and is strongly sensitive to allow such emotions come to the surface. It is readily too open and its outcome will make a strong statement on all of us; the judiciary; the bar and the rest of us in the society.
“It said any outcome to the contrary would be very dangerous to humanity and highly indicting of society, saying “we can’t afford to put justice to death, our society will totally falter if it happens.”
The group, though a female gender sensitive, said, “We are against discrimination as what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Because crime is not gender peculiar, justice cannot be discriminatory or partial. We do not only stand for women when injustice is perpetrated against the gender, we stand for justice for all humans. Justice is justice for all, male or female.”
The group, which demanded proper investigation for justice to be done, however, advised couples to tread with caution during periods of heated arguments as mature adults in the home.
