HUMAN RIGHTS, ARMED ROBBER AND THE LAW
I am not a lawyer and so I would not pretend to be one. But today I’m tempted to delve into this grey area. Before I do that, let me make some observations. First of all, I have been a victim of armed robbery and burglary on more than one occasion. And I find it very difficult to come to terms with those human rights lawyers who have been seen or heard attempting to defend suspected armed robbers who are killed by police in shoot outs. Over the years, we have heard media reports in which the police have come under severe criticisms over their handling of ‘suspected’ armed robbers. Some of those ‘suspected’ armed robbers in some cases have engaged the police in shoot outs in an attempt to clamp them down. When this happens, sometimes some police officers as well as some of the armed robbers equally lose their lives in the process. Let me recount an armed robbery incidence which happened in one of the West African countries. In the said armed robbery, a luxurious bus was in...