The human rights community was thrown into mourning yesterday when news broke about the death of radical lawyer and activist, Bamidele Aturu.
Aturu died Wednesday after a period of an undisclosed illness. He was 49 years old.
The late lawyer was one of the founding members Democratic Alternative, a political group committed to pursuing deep-rooted democratic principles and holding those in power accountable to the governed.
He came to prominence as a fighter against power abuses when as a member of the National Youth Service Corps, he refused to shake the hand of former 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 Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Osun State and devoted much of his legal practice to representing marginalized or oppressed individuals and groups.
The late activist was nominated as a member of the ongoing national confab, but he renounced his membership, arguing that the conference was designed to achieve nothing.
A human rights activist in Abuja stated that Mr. Aturu’s death “has created a huge void in the camp of those of us working to enthrone a solid democratic culture where political power is deployed to serve the interests of the generality of citizens.”
Aturu was until his death, the Principal Counsel, Bamidele Aturu & Co., a full service law firm with special expertise in Litigation, Human Right, Maritime Law and Labour Law.
He started as a Mathematics & Physics teacher in Federal Government College between January 1987 and January 1988. He later transferred his services to Holy Child Girls Secondary School, teaching the same subjects. He was there from January 1988 to January 1989.
He became a Staff Attorney at Itse Sagay & Co. from January 1995 – January 1999.
Between March 1995 and February 1999, he grew to the position of Staff Counsel in the same chambers majoring in the areas of employment, human rights and maritime law. From Febraury 1999, Aturu took the bull by the horns and started his own chambers where he superintended its affairs until his death last night.
