Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to step up efforts to curb illegal arrests and prolonged detention of Nigerians by the police and other law enforcement agencies.

In a statement yesterday, Falana said the NBA had a statutory and professional duty to protect citizens’ constitutional rights, particularly indigent Nigerians who may be unable to afford legal representation.

He referenced Section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and Section 70 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, which require Chief Magistrates to conduct monthly inspections of police stations within their jurisdictions.

The magistrates, he said, are empowered to examine arrest records, order the production of detained suspects before a court for trial or formal arraignment where necessary, and grant bail in deserving cases.

Falana, however, said the effectiveness of the safeguards could be enhanced through the participation of members of the NBA Human Rights Committees in the inspections.

He urged the NBA, under its President, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, to ensure that members of its Human Rights Committees across all 145 branches accompany magistrates on their monthly visits to police stations.

The senior lawyer also called on the NBA to pressure the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to designate judges to conduct monthly inspections of detention facilities other than police stations, as provided by law.

According to Falana, the relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Nigeria Police Act empower Federal High Court judges to inspect detention facilities within their jurisdictions and ensure that suspects are not detained beyond the period permitted by the Constitution.

He expressed concern that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court had yet to designate judges for the exercise, urging the NBA to press for immediate compliance.

Falana further drew attention to Section 21 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019,which designates the President and National Officers of the NBA as official visitors to correctional centres across Nigeria.

He urged the new NBA leadership to mobilise its national officers to visit correctional facilities and discharge their statutory responsibilities without further delay, saying regular inspections would strengthen oversight and help protect inmates’ rights.

The senior lawyer also cited the judgment in The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. Police Service Commission & Ors (Suit No. NICN/ABJ/264/2025), in which the National Industrial Court, presided over by Justice O.Y. Anuwe, declared that police authorities have a mandatory duty to deploy legal practitioners within the force to every police division in Nigeria.

Falana said such deployment would help enforce human rights standards at the divisional level, as provided under Section 66(3) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.

He therefore urged the NBA to pursue full compliance with the judgment and deploy all available legal mechanisms to combat unlawful arrests and prolonged detention, particularly involving indigent Nigerians.