Human Rights Lawyer Bamidele Aturu Dies at 49

By Davidson Iriekpen

One of Nigeria’s foremost human rights lawyers, Bamidele Aturu, is dead.
Aturu, known for his commitment to championing human rights and constitutionalism, died at a Lagos hospital yesterday evening after battling an undisclosed illness.

Associates of the deceased confirmed his death.
The late lawyer was one of the founding members of a political group – Democracy Alternative – committed to pursuing deep-rooted democratic principles and holding those in power accountable to the governed.

He came to prominence as a fighter against rights abuses when, as a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, he refused to shake the hand of the military Administrator of Niger State, Col. Lawan Gwadabe, in 1988 during his youth corps 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 Conference, but renounced his membership, arguing that the conference was designed to achieve nothing.