‘Onagoruwa had stroke, never fully recovered till he died today’

Lagos – A former National President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, on Friday expressed grief over the death of a one-time Justice Minister, Dr Olu Onagoruwa, describing him as a liberal lawyer and a fi
Agbakoba, who said he was saddened by his passing, described him as a compatriot and fighter in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria.
“The news of the death of Dr Onagoruwa is indeed a sad one; he was a personal friend of mine, who played a very crucial role in the struggle for democracy and had come across very turbulent times.
“For us in the legal profession this is indeed a sad loss, but like I always say in situations like this, it is the will of God to recall
people.
“It is indeed a sad loss, but certainly the will of God,” he said in Lagos.
For Falana (SAN), Onagoruwa was a liberal and an upright man, who lived for justice, equity and law and order.
He said: “Dr Olu Onagoruwa was a liberal lawyer, who believed in the bourgeois concept of the rule of law.
“When the late Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) and I were detained on several occasions by the military government, he always challenged our detention in court.
“His principled commitment to the defence of the rule of law made him to clash with the legal establishment, and at the time the system reluctantly admitted him to the inner bar, he had called it quits with the legal practice.
“He was convinced that a fascist and corrupt system (late Gen. Sani Abacha’s dictatorship) could be reformed from within; so, he accepted to be Attorney-General and Minister