17th September, 2019
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC DEMANDS JUDICIARY REFORM
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has complained about the
prolonged delay in the dispensation of justice in Nigeria. The Islamic human
rights organization therefore called on the Federal Government to expedite
action on the long expected reform of the Nigerian judiciary.
The call was made in a press statement issued by the Director of
MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Tuesday, 17th September, 2019.
The organization lamented delays in the criminal justice system
which allows criminals who have confessed to still continue to maradonise law
enforcement agents and judges years after their arrest.
MURIC continued, “How can a
notorious kidnapper like Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike, popularly known as Evans still
be appearing in court years after his celebrated arrest. It is sheer gymnastic
procrastination. A lot of things are wrong with our judicial system. Evans was
arrested on 11th June, 2017. This is September 2019. It is past two
years now for crying out loud and he may still be in court for the next six
years.
“This is a man who confessed to several high profile abductions,
including murder. What is he still doing shuttling between courts and detention?
Evans house is worth N130 million. He has two
houses in Magodo, Lagos and another two duplexes in Ghana worth N15 million
each. Evans’ wristwatch costs 170 thousand dollars and his net worth is
estimated at N2.2 billion.
“Like Evans, the Taraba State kidnap kingpin Hamisu
Bala, also known as Wadume may face trial ad infinitum if care is not
taken. Wadume, whose first arrest on 6th August, 2019, caused the unfortunate
death of three policemen due to an inter-agency betrayal, was rearrested on 20th
August, 2019. Another big fish in the kidnapping profession, 40-year-old Bello
Audu A.K.A. ‘Commander Yellow’ who was arrested on 12th September,
2019 is also expected to enjoy the luxury of prolonged hearing if the poor
showing of the courts is anything to go by. This delay is nauseating.
“The same
goes for corrupt politicians where cases drag on for years. Is it not a shame
that the cases of 16 former governors still linger in court since 2007? That is
a whopping 12 years! To make matters worse, some of them have contested two or
three times and won senate seats while their cases drag on in the courts. Equally
worrisome is the fact that almost all of them claim one ailment or the other
and request for treatment abroad.
“This makes a mockery of not only the judicial
system but also the war against corruption. Watching these ex-governors defy
the courts encourages other politicians to steal public money.
“Although MURIC does not deny that suspects and criminals have certain rights,
we contend that it is counter-productive for the judicial system to dignify
self-confessed criminals with prolonged and ‘executive’ cases. Delays in
judgement emboldens criminals. Both criminals and corrupt politicians exploit
the various loopholes in the system to their own advantage and hide behind
legal technicalities thereby creating the impression of ineptitude on the part
of the judiciary.
“It is also a pity that Nigeria
suffers from a desertification of lawyers of conscience. The alacrity with
which our lawyers jump at defending criminals constitutes a taint on the
integrity of that noble profession. The speed with which they grab cases of
persons of extremely low morality is quite disturbing. It is a major impediment to the elimination of
criminality in the Nigerian society.
“The nonchalance of past regimes to job creation, particularly the
Jonathanian ideology of ‘stealing is not corruption’ has created an economic
mess which cannot be cleaned up in a hurry. Jonathan turned the institution of
national honours to a jamboree for international rogues and ‘fantastically
corrupt’ politicians. This is worsened by the phenomenon of religious
challatanism whereby licenced thieves, acknowledged armed robbers, established
kleptomaniacs and registered kidnappers are given front row seats in churches
and turbaned in the mosques.
“MURIC is aware that the Buhari administration has introduced
several economic measures to reduce poverty. Nonetheless, we believe that the
puritanic regime of President Muhammadu Buhari can still do more to stem the
tide of criminality. Fewer young people will be tempted to commit crime if
government can reduce hunger in the land.
“We will conclude this
intervention on an optimistic note. If police stations can be closed during
weekends in Sweden because crime has been reduced to the barest minimum; if
shops can be left open in Saudi Arabia at prayer times with no one to watch for
the owners, Nigeria can also become a good point of reference in crime-free
environments in a not too distant future. However, the panacea lies in a well
planned, focused and effective reform of the judiciary.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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