Mohammed Fawehinmi

By Moji Eniola

Some lawyers on Thursday said that Mr Mohammed Fawehinmi will be greatly missed by the human rights community.

Mohammed, 52, a lawyer and human rights advocate died on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, a constitutional lawyer and the president, Voters Awareness Initiative (VAI) Mr Wale Ogunade described late Mohammed as the patriarch of the Fawehinmi family.

The VAI President noted that the deceased was very supportive of human rights causes.

“Inspite of his status as somebody who is always on the wheelchair, he made sure that he attended every program that has to do with good governance, democracy and the rule of law particularly promoting justice for all.

“He too like his father put his life on the line during the Save Nigeria project which was a success.

“It is unfortunate that we lost him at his prime. May his revolutionary spirit rest in peace,” Ogunade said.

Also speaking, the President of the African Bar Association (AFBA), Mr Hannibal Uwaifo described Mohammed’s demise as a very said event.

The AFBA President noted that though Mohammed was not as active as his late father in human rights advocacy due to some physical constraints, the human rights community will still miss him.

“In spite of his passing, the name of the Fawehinmi family will remain in gold in the history of the legal profession in Nigeria,” Uwaifo said.

Also, Mr Ademola Adewale, a lawyer and public affairs analyst said that late Mohammed had made efforts to preserve the legacy of his father both in legal practice and the fight for equal rights.

“He will be missed by a lot of human rights bodies like the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),” Adewale said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mohammed graduated from the University of Lagos with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1991.

He obtained an LLB degree from the University of Buckingham, England and was called to Nigerian Bar in 1998.

Mohammed had over 20 years experience in the practice of law.