Thousands of Nigerians have been wrongly convicted and jailed across the country in a system defined by official indifference to innocence and error.
There are many innocent people in Nigerian jails today than anywhere in the world. The numbers reveal an unreliable system of criminal justice. A system that is bedeviled by lack of accountability for police and prosecutors. A system known for reliance on junk data of evidence, mistaken identity and fake eyewitnesses contribute greatly to wrongful convictions that have ruined the lives of innocent citizens.
Our criminal justice system relies on fabricating evidence, false testimony, and refusal to consider proof of innocence. Nigeria’s sickening criminal justice system ensures miscarriage of justice. Our double standard justice system is based on different rules to different people: One for the Nnamdi Kanus of the world and another for the Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists of the world.
Nigerians who have been following the trajectory of Kanu’s trial are not surprised that he was sentenced to life jail. The outcome of the trial was predictable from the outset. If one fairly assessed the legitimacy of Nnamdi Kanu’s verdict, you will see that Nigeria’s criminal justice system is rotten to its core. Nigeria’s criminal justice system is a ranging dumpster fire of injustice that’s capable of igniting the fuse of unrest and violence.
What makes Kanu’s sentencing galling is the fact that Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists are on killing spree all over the country with government approval and appeasement of security agencies. The terrorists are not arrested. They are not detained. They are not charged with any crime. Rather, they are given special choices in terms of protection and provisions that wipe off all their crimes: rehabilitation, repentance, and reformation. All these options were not available to Kanu. To the government and justice James Omotosho who sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment, Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists are not “tyrants” and do not constitute danger to a free society.
The double standard in our criminal justice system is too obvious to ignore. The system is lenient to the terrorists. They are protected and preserved. The harsher justice meted to Kanu shows that our justice system operates on unequal penalties, inconsistent enforcement of laws, biased application of legal principles and denial of equal protections or recourse. Kanu is a victim of unequal justice.
Kanu’s sentencing amplifies biased enforcement of criminal law. It demonstrates biased rigorous enforcement of laws to people who look like Kanu. The terrorists are held to lower standard. Their actions, atrocities, crimes do not invite the wrath of the law. Instead, it serves as an incentive for them to hunt down innocent Nigerians.
The wider consequences of unequal justice meted to Kanu cannot be over stressed. When justice is not upheld, people lose faith in leadership and institutions. It leads to distrust and disillusionment. It leads to lawlessness. A sense of injustice can fuel anger and frustration. It translates to higher crime rates, social unrest, and rebellion.
Nigeria is where there is no justice. Where there is no justice, there is no peace. With the current state of affairs in Nigeria, we are all witnesses of no justice, no peace.
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