Nigeria Mourns Prominent Human Rights Activist, Bamidele Aturu

Nigeria has been thrown into another round of mourning as one of the country's foremost human rights activist and radical lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, has died at the age of 49.

Aturu who was a thorn in the flesh of the military regime and corrupt leaders in the country, is said to have died in mysterious circumstances after suffering from a mystery ailment for many months before finally giving up the ghost.

Aturu studied law at the University of Ife, and devoted much of his legal practice to representing marginalized or oppressed individuals and groups.

The late lawyer was one of the founding members of Democratic Alternative, a political group dedicated to holding those in power accountable to the governed.

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.

He came to national prominence as a fighter against power abuses when, as a member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, he refused to shake the hand of the then 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.