You Don’t Parade Big Men, Politicians But The Poor- Falana Slams Police

Human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, has rebuked the Nigeria Police for parading “only the poor” suspects in alleged criminal cases before the media.

Speaking at a civil society roundtable programme on Administration of Criminal Justice Act and abolition of stay of proceedings in criminal trials, Falana wondered why the “big men” and “politically exposed persons” are not paraded as the poor.

He maintained that it was illegal to subject suspects to media trial as this could subvert the justice system.

The senior advocate commended the judiciary for the abolition of ‘stay of proceedings’ in criminal trials, describing it as a crooked and unethical means deployed by some lawyers in order to delay justice.

He said, “You don’t parade the big men; you don’t parade politically exposed persons. You only parade the poor.

“It is a class matter It does not apply to the poor in magistrate and customary courts.”