The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gombe State branch, on Wednesday appealed to the state governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, to sign the death warrant of a policeman, Abba Jessy, who is on death row.

Jessy was said to have been convicted for killing a lawyer simply identified Mado.

He was said to have exhausted every legal avenue open to him to prove his innocence.

The state chairman of the NBA, Ahmed Tukur, said the group was dismayed by the prevalence of brutality on lawyers by security agents.

He spoke during a special court sitting to mark the beginning of the 2021/2022 legal year at the Gombe State High Court.

Tukur said, “Though these unprofessional and condemned attitudes of some bad eggs among the security agencies did not start in our administration, record shows that learned senior, late Mado, was killed by trigger happy police officer, Abba Jessy, who is now on death row after exhausting all his appeals as of right at both appellate and the apex court.

“Also, the brutality of some officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service against our learned senior, late Joseph Kolchi, of blessed memory and the attack against the person of Suleiman Kumo by officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission Gombe State Sector are of concerns to us.”

While cautioning security agents against inflicting violence on members of the public or the bar, he urged the public to be law-abiding.

“On this note, while urging all our members and the general public to remain law-abiding citizens, we call on the sector commander of the FRSC to call his officers to order, more particularly on the mode of their operations in the state.

“We appeal to the governor of Gombe State to sign a death warrant on the execution of the convict, Abba Jessy, who was found guilty, convicted and sentenced to death to avenge the blood of our learned colleague, late Mado of the blessed memory,” Tukur said

On his part, Yahaya, who did not react to NBA’s appeal, described criminal justice delivery as a collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the judicial system.

He noted that his administration is committed to smooth judicial process, especially in the discharge of statutory responsibilities during the year under review.

The governor commended the bench and bar for the speedy dispensation of cases.