Monday Ubani, former Second Vice President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), has offered free legal services to Nigerians arrested for taking Covid-19 palliatives from warehouses in various States across the country, stressing that the political elites who hoarded the palliatives should be arraigned instead.

Ubani maintained that the people who should be docked were the politicians who hoarded what should be given to the poor and hungry Nigerians. He pointed out that it was a criminal conversion, and as those controlling the instrument of State had turned to call those taking what should rightly belong to them as criminals.

The former second vice president of NBA, while speaking with DAILY INDEPENDENT on Tuesday said;

“I mentioned it in my Facebook page that those people I will give free legal services are the poor and hungry Nigerians, who have gone to the warehouses of the COVID-19 palliatives to take what rightfully belonged to them, which the governors have hoarded. You can see the kind of conflicting information that they were giving.”

“Some said that they are waiting for second wave of the disease, others said that they were waiting to repackage the items. I will give them free legal services. Remember that a person is not a criminal until it has been proven so, I must tell you that those people are not criminals.”

“The politicians who hoarded the palliatives are the ones that should be docked. My free legal services does not cover those who broke into private and public properties, but only those who broke into warehouses of COVID-19 palliatives.”

The activist while responding to the outcry over looting of palliatives across the country stated in his Facebook page that he was ready to offer legal services at no cost to such residents who went on the looting spree as a result of hunger, urging them to reach out to him.

The lawyer wrote, “After careful prayer and leading of the spirit, I hereby offer free legal services to any Nigerian who is arrested for taking any of the palliatives from the warehouses in the States as a result of hunger. Contact me.”

It would be recalled that in the last one week, there had been reported cases of residents breaking into warehouses where Covid-19 palliatives were stored and helping themselves out with food items.

The trend which started in Lagos with the total raid of a large warehouse in Maza Maza area of the State where COVID-19 palliatives worth N1.4billion were stored, quickly spread across the South West States, then the North, the East including the Federal Capital Territory.

Houses of some politicians where palliatives were also stored were not spared as residents stormed such locations, broke into the houses and carted away anything they considered valuable to them.

Already, security agencies arrested some residents who were caught in the act, while some houses were raided and some items retrieved.

Some State Governors had also called on residents to return the looted items to the warehouses or risk arrest and prosecution. (Daily Independent)

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