 Published
May 25th, 2010
Now that
Nigeria is again under the grasp of an active and smooth
running executive president compared to the past few months,
it is time to think about more ways to protect the national
treasury and the peoples’ security.
Nigeria with its bi-legal makeup in terms of the composition
of the Constitution—civil law and sharia law—make it more
charged to protect the nation’s security.
In the last few months, the overwhelming nature of the
crimes of corruption, along with its twin companion, illegal
firearms and other related weapons make it proper to require
urgent solutions.
President Jonathan with the executive powers vested in the
presidency, should in the short term, order for the set up a
jurisdictional body or special court, in the likeness of
what could be named as ‘Nigeria Corruption/Arms Court’.
All that is needed is issuing executive order due to the
urgent situation of these national matters.
The people are already supportive of urgent ways to protect
the nation, given their loud but helpless cries over these
malicious crimes against their day to day security.
As such, they will understand that the usual snail-like or
slow approach to the passage of laws under the National
Assembly or legislature makes the reduction of corruption
and gun crimes equally slow. A reality that the Senate
President, David Mark and the Speaker of the House of
Representative, Dimeji Bankole cannot deny.
President Jonathan should order that cases of corruption and
firearms come under a special court system. Since the
Nigerian Constitution has Sharia Criminal Courts as part of
the national legal system, no law is broken as it relates to
the equal protection clause. Therefore, it is definitely
fair for the use of these courts in any matter, and on any
person irrespective of his or her tribal, religious or
regional background.
Why the Nigeria Corruption/Arms Court, and why being placed
under the Sharia jurisdictional umbrella? Here is why.
1. Because these courts are less crowded, 2. They are very
effective in terms of just and speedy resolutions, 3. They
are retributive in terms of penalties. 4. The tactics of
justice are scary but markedly just and heavily deterring.
5. The harsh outcomes that come at the end of any successful
prosecution and conviction are quickly recognized in public.
5. These courts could open potential offenders to
psychological ramifications as in acute apprehension and
dreadful thoughts of facing light and tough impositions
common in various judgments—public flogging, body branding,
nose cutting, cutting of hands, eye gouging, leg amputation,
and death sentence by stoning, beheading, and hanging. 6.
The judges are in general holy warriors of injustice and are
less susceptible to enticement, therefore they could be
harsh towards public immoralities like crimes of corruption
and firearms. 7. Along some of the reported retributive
penalties, should be various forms of restitutions, and the
recovered monies from the culprit should be used to fix
broken windows/chairs of primary schools and to provide
water/electric related power to hospitals located in the
culprit’s native town.
8 .As starting points, Nigeria Corruption/Arms Courts could
be in places like Zamfara, Yobe, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa,
Kebbi, Kano, Abuja, and may be, in other areas like Warri,
Benin City, Lagos, Oyo, Port Harcourt as well as other
places of interest to the President.
President Jonathan in his authority, has the power to
exercise check on the National Assembly or legislature
through executive power, especially on matters that call for
urgent public protection.
The setting up of special court(s) to safeguard the national
treasury and the peoples’ safety, is the only apparent way
to protect the nation from a number of heartless, unpitying,
calamitous, wicked, ‘I don’t care’, crime bangers.
‘O’ Boy, My Dear Sister, what else could save the people
from that bad ‘Big Man or Madam’? This is where the
President becomes very important and essential to the
people.
The President should directly, openly and publicly put forth
these painful but unavoidable proposals, and with the aid of
his candid Attorney-General, Adetokunbo Kayode, and his able
chief prosecutor, Farida Waziri, these recommended
arrangements as in the indicated special courts could be the
only, immediate, and best hope for the nation.
John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D, is a practicing
Clinical/Forensic Psychologist, and an Interim Associate
Dean of the Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward
College, Coconut Creek, florida. joshodi@broward.edu. |
