Human Rights Lawyer Bamidele Aturu Dies At 49

Human rights lawyer, Bamidele Aturu has died in Lagos after a brief illness.

Aturu, who has over the years shown unbridled commitment to human rights and constitutionalism.

The late lawyer became known as a fighter against power abuses when, as a member of the National Youth Service Corps, he refused to shake hands with a military administrator of Niger State, Col. Lawan Gwadabe, in 1988 during his NYSC passing out parade declaring that the military had caused great harm to the democratic aspirations of Nigerians.

Aturu studied law at the University of Ife, and devoted much of his legal practice to representing marginalised or oppressed individuals and groups.

He was nominated as a member of the ongoing national confab, but he renounced his membership, arguing that the conference was designed to achieve nothing.

He died aged 49.