The Chairmen of the eight Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Rivers State have strongly condemned a query issued to the Chairman of the NBA Port Harcourt Branch, Cordelia Eke, by the Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.
The query accused Eke of “serious misconduct” for co-authoring a communique criticizing the administration’s actions as “severe and brazen acts of lawlessness and impunity.”
The NBA chairmen described the query as an attempt to intimidate Eke and stifle dissenting voices among legal professionals in the state.
They argued that Eke issued the communique in her capacity as NBA Chairman, not as a civil servant, and that their collective statements reflected the position of all NBA branches in the state.
The chairmen criticized the query as part of a broader effort to suppress free speech and dismantle democratic norms.
They demanded the immediate withdrawal of the query and reaffirmed their commitment to resist any harassment or persecution targeting NBA leadership, lawyers, or the wider public in Rivers State.
