Page 5 - elev8 mag 2018

The Law & you PRISONS MINISTRY & LEGAL AID

Navigating the choppy waters of e have a passion to of Jesus Christ. We show the Our unit provide legal counselling
to church members who cannot
reach the lost and prisoners love, give them hope and
law enforcement in Nigeria Wthe incarcerated by help to restore their lives. We also afford legal services and pro bono
reaching out to inmates of prison empower them by offering legal
advisory services at our legal clinics.
communities with the good news services and guidance.
Abiola Falusi

ave you ever had to deal
with law enforcement
Hagents either for a traffic
offence or some other altercation?
If you have, you’ll attest that it
could be an unpleasant experience.
I hear it sometimes gets messier
if you have to follow them to a
police station. Perhaps if we had a
ticketing system, in which case the the story doesn’t change when we
offence and the punishment are get to their office. We hear and see showed I couldn’t obtain the
clearly spelled out from the get go, things happen. - Michael documentation without paying
such incidences can be minimized. off the officials. The normal cost
On many of those instances, I have While I was younger I once argued for the documentation was a
heard Christians quote Mathew and protested that I had done fraction of the overall amount I
5:25 which states that nothing wrong and insisted they was being asked to pay, I honestly
“Settle matters quickly with your had no right to get into my property succumbed to the norm as it
adversary who is taking you to or my personal space. I however seemed an impossible task even
court. Do it while you are still learnt a hard way. These days, I am when I escalated to a senior official
together on the way, or your more receptive to them and I have within the organisation. My take is
adversary may hand you over to the kept acquaintances of some senior that I paid for exceptional/express
judge, and the judge may hand you persons within certain enforcement services rather than paying off” -
over to the officer, and you may be agencies who I can contact. The Ekene
thrown into prison” bible says Wisdom is profitable to
as the reason they would do direct. I would not pay them off. - As Christians in Nigeria, we make
‘whatever’ they can to wriggle Oladokun judgement calls every day about
out of any altercation with law our faith and walk with God. But I
enforcement so as not to become In recent past I had passed a traffic am assured that we would be fine
a victim of unlawful arrest or light like other cars before and with the help of the Holy Spirit and
sometimes unnecessary delays. after me and some cyclist officials striving to live by God’s word in 2
We spoke to few Christian to get stopped me that I had ran the traffic Corinthians 8:21 which says “For
their views on how they would or light. Immediately they jumped we are taking pains to do what is
have handles confrontations with into the car as it wasn’t locked and right, not only in the eyes of the
law enforcement officers: said to drive to their office for a fine Lord but also in the eyes of man”
and 1 Thessalonians 5:22 which
or pay them off to which I refused
My first reaction is to put out as I was not in the wrong and felt says “Abstain from all appearance
a friendly and cooperative cheated. I had to pay a heavy fine of evil.”
personality towards the official and and 3hours delay in their office. -
assuming the best. However, if they Hauwa
are being unreasonable and trying
to attack or demand a trip to the I have had to process some official
station, I would settle them so that documentation and my enquiry
first I am not delayed and secondly

9 | The Elevation Church The Elevation Church | 10

elev8 magazine 2018.indd 9-10 29/11/2018 2:38:33 PM