MURIC calls for judiciary reform
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Federal Government
to expedite action on the long expected reform of the Nigerian
judiciary.
MURIC made the call in a statement by its Director, Prof. Ishaq
Akintola, on Tuesday, lamenting delays in the criminal justice system.
“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,” the group said.
MURIC further stated that the President Muhammadu Buhari
administration has introduced several economic measures to reduce
poverty adding that the FG can still do more to stem the tide of
criminality.