Thief na Thief.
Not too long ago, a Police Pension thief who has been standing trial for sometimes now was ruled guilty and his punishment was a 750, 000 naira fine for stealing 27 billion naira. Earlier on, the same judiciary jailed a young man who stole a blackberry phone of about 25,000 naira for three years.
From these two cases, i believe it is safe to say that Nigeria judicial system, like the political system, is a joke - awada kerikeri.
A number of Nigerians have expressed displeasure at the judgment. I however had a different view. In the first instance, i think we need to know what the law books say. What minimum and maximum punishment is prescribed? If the law books prescribed such a 'no-punishment' for the big thief and such a 'sledge-hammer' punishment for the small thief, i think we need not to revamp the books, but burn them.
If the law books were clear on a longer and stiffer terms, we need to know what prevented the judge from acting in line with the books. We need to know if the judge has also exhausted his quota of punishments on the judgment day. Afterall, when Bishop Akinola was raining curses on those that were saddled with the responsibilities of building Nigeria and the President could not say 'Amen', his media man, Dr. Reuben Abati was quick to say that he had exhausted his quota of Amen for the day. Could it be there is a protocol in the law books that imposes such a limitation on the judge too?
We need also to know if the plea bargaining with the EFCC was to the effect that such a punishment was mutually agreed before it became public.
If nothing of these nature are in the law books, are we save to think that the judge may have been corrupted or compromised to give such a ridiculous judgment? If the EFCC agreed to the plea bargaining and buckled when Nigerians reacted, then how true is the organization in its fight against corruption?
What lessons are here? Is this the way top fight corruption?
Your views are welcome.
Not too long ago, a Police Pension thief who has been standing trial for sometimes now was ruled guilty and his punishment was a 750, 000 naira fine for stealing 27 billion naira. Earlier on, the same judiciary jailed a young man who stole a blackberry phone of about 25,000 naira for three years.
From these two cases, i believe it is safe to say that Nigeria judicial system, like the political system, is a joke - awada kerikeri.
A number of Nigerians have expressed displeasure at the judgment. I however had a different view. In the first instance, i think we need to know what the law books say. What minimum and maximum punishment is prescribed? If the law books prescribed such a 'no-punishment' for the big thief and such a 'sledge-hammer' punishment for the small thief, i think we need not to revamp the books, but burn them.
If the law books were clear on a longer and stiffer terms, we need to know what prevented the judge from acting in line with the books. We need to know if the judge has also exhausted his quota of punishments on the judgment day. Afterall, when Bishop Akinola was raining curses on those that were saddled with the responsibilities of building Nigeria and the President could not say 'Amen', his media man, Dr. Reuben Abati was quick to say that he had exhausted his quota of Amen for the day. Could it be there is a protocol in the law books that imposes such a limitation on the judge too?
We need also to know if the plea bargaining with the EFCC was to the effect that such a punishment was mutually agreed before it became public.
If nothing of these nature are in the law books, are we save to think that the judge may have been corrupted or compromised to give such a ridiculous judgment? If the EFCC agreed to the plea bargaining and buckled when Nigerians reacted, then how true is the organization in its fight against corruption?
What lessons are here? Is this the way top fight corruption?
Your views are welcome.
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