NBA Raises Alarm Over Police Harassment of Court Bailiffs in Anambra

The Anaocha Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has raised concerns about police officers allegedly harassing court bailiffs in Anambra State.

The NBA chairman, Uzoma Dioha, said in a statement on Thursday that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of B-Division in Awka ordered his men to harass the bailiffs while they were enforcing a court order from the Chief Magistrate Court, Awka.

Mr Dioha, who spoke out against this alleged harassment, claimed the incident occurred on Wednesday.

He said that the Chief Bailiff, Francis Nweje, informed him that the court officials were doing the "lawful execution of a judgement" based on a warrant from the court when the DPO arrived at the scene.

The NBA chairman mentioned that the police chief told the court officials to stop their work immediately and come with him to the police station.

The bailiffs explained to the DPO that they had a valid warrant and asked to finish their duties before following his order.

“Instead of letting the judicial process run its course, the officer reportedly called in more police, who came and allegedly harassed the court officials,” he said.

Mr Dioha pointed out that the harassment was recorded in a video, emphasizing that this incident is a serious attack on the judiciary.

“If these claims are true, such actions are a serious violation of the judiciary's authority and an unacceptable interference with justice,” he stated.

He argued that the 1999 Nigerian Constitution gives courts the power to decide civil rights and obligations, and it requires everyone, including government bodies, to respect and enforce valid court decisions.

“The duties of bailiffs, which include executing warrants and other court processes, are governed by the law and court rules.

“Once a valid warrant is issued by a competent court, no police officer, regardless of rank, has the right to suspend its execution without proper reason,” he explained.

“Any legitimate concerns about executing a judgement must be addressed through legal channels.”

Mr Dioha also noted that it is ironic that those supposed to enforce a court order were the ones blocking its execution.

He said the NBA has asked the state’s police commissioner to investigate the incident and hold accountable the officers who obstructed the court order.

The union also called for the protection of court bailiffs who are performing their legal duties.

Additionally, they requested “an appropriate institutional apology” to the judiciary and the court officials involved.

“We will keep engaging the right authorities and push for accountability, discipline, and protection of the judicial process,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES has seen a video of the incident.

In the video, which has gone viral on Facebook, armed police officers and another person in plain clothes are seen grabbing a man identified as a court bailiff outside what looks like a residential building.

The police operatives pulled the court bailiff forcefully, trying to put him into a waiting police vehicle while he resisted.

“You’re harassing a court bailiff on official duty,” a male voice can be heard saying repeatedly in the background.

One of the bailiffs said they were there with a valid warrant to enforce the court order.

At one point, one of the officers was seen reading the warrant handed to him by the bailiff.

The Anambra State police have responded to the incident.

In a statement on Thursday, the police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the viral video only showed part of what happened.

Mr Ikenga, a police superintendent, stated that the state police are assessing the incident to find out what really happened.

However, he said initial information suggested that the officers were responding to a distress call about "unidentified persons and a reported disturbance" at the location.

“On getting there, the police found people evicting others and removing property from the premises.

“While trying to identify those involved and understand their purpose, the officers asked them for identification,” he said.

“There was a disagreement between the police and some of the individuals present.”

The individuals later identified themselves as court bailiffs executing a court order.

Mr Ikenga said the police were not contacted for security support before the enforcement began.

“Once the police learned that the individuals were bailiffs acting on a court order, they advised them on how to properly request police security support during such exercises and then left the scene,” he explained.

The spokesperson reiterated that the police respect the authority of the courts and want to support the enforcement of valid court orders.

“The command has noted the concerns from this incident and is engaging relevant parties to ensure the matter is handled correctly and fairly,” he said.

“The Command will share further updates as necessary once the assessment is complete,” the spokesperson assured, urging Nigerians to avoid jumping to conclusions from video clips without complete details.