By Romanus Okoye, Lagos
Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum (NBAWF) has condemned the alleged murder of their colleague, Adaeze Ikpeama, Esq, by her husband, Anthony Ikpeama.
NBAWF Head, Advocacy Committee, Folashade Alli, in a statement, stated that the late lawyer’s colleagues read with shock and consternation the news of the death of the female lawyer by her husband.
‘We are distressed to learn that the abuse by her husband is alleged to have gone on over the years. It is painful to know that our late colleague, an advocate, who holds the brief of others had her life ended in such gruesome circumstances,’ the statement read.
‘To this end, we demand from the relevant security agencies that the circumstances leading to the death of our dear colleague be thoroughly investigated and the culprit prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
‘We have also noted a rise in the cases of Domestic Violence in our society at large. We therefore use this medium to call on our female lawyers to speak up and out on domestic violence issues using the platform of the NBAWF, so that such issues can be handled proactively.
‘NBAWF have put in place mechanisms and platforms to help female lawyers protect themselves in such a situation. We will work with the relevant security agencies, family members and friends of our late colleague to ensure that our colleague gets justice.’
According to the police, the incident occurred in Lagos when the 28-year-old woman was on admission as an in-patient for pregnancy-related complications after her husband had allegedly beaten her into state of coma.
The deceased was said to be on oxygen in a hospital before the suspect stormed the hospital and removed the oxygen mask until she died on April 10.
The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered that the matter be transferred to State Criminal Investigations Department for proper investigation.