Agwai, Odikalu, others urge FG to prosecute sponsors of insecurity

Rising from a one-day gathering in Kaduna, participants at the annual House of Justice Summit have called on the federal government to go after the financiers of insecurity in the country.

They also urged the government to ensure the protection of civilian informants who provide vital information to completely cripple terrorist activities in Nigeria.

Some of the prominent participants who spoke at the summit include General Martin Luther Agwai (retd), Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Professor Chris Kwaja, Honorable Sarah Reng Ochekpe, and Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (Rtd).

Others included Dr. Mike Omeri, Mr. Chima Christian, Barrister Audu Adamu Maikori, Barrister Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, SAN, and Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, Muhammad Rabiu, represented by ACP Badamasi Musa.

In a communiqué signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of House of Justice, Gloria Ballason, and Luka Ashafa Odita, a Lecturer of Criminology and Security Studies at Kaduna State University, which was made available to journalists on Sunday, they noted that government and security agencies should go after the sponsors of terrorism in the country.

The communiqué urged government and security agencies to take intelligence gathering and reports seriously, as this would help identify those behind terrorist acts.

It lamented that, over the years, there have not been concerted efforts to deal with the issue of insecurity, particularly the financiers of insecurity.

The communiqué also stressed the need for cooperation between Nigeria and neighboring countries in strategically resolving insecurity, stating that the recruitment process for security agents should be transparent and based on merit.

It noted that the absence of justice for victims makes some of them transition into combatants. It criticized the government’s policy of rehabilitation, recovery, and reintegration programs for offenders while abandoning victims in internally displaced persons camps, which are sometimes re-attacked by terrorists.

The communiqué, which also touched on electoral matters, noted that Nigeria has repeatedly failed to hold electoral offenders to account, as electoral crimes are rarely punished according to the law. This has led to unresolved electoral disputes and has caused some African countries to view Nigeria’s electoral system as a failing one.

“The justice system in Nigeria and Africa should dispense justice according to the law. The National Judicial Council and citizens must hold the judiciary accountable.

“Judicial appointments should be apolitical and should not be influenced by ‘inheritance,’ family or filial ties, or any primordial sentiments. The Nigerian justice system is yet to be systematic.

“There is a need for justice delivery reforms, improved accountability, and court efficiency. There is a growing perception that justice in Nigeria, especially during elections, is transactional. These perceptions have sometimes been substantiated by the experiences of electoral court users.

“There are concerns about the diminishing authority and respect for the justice sector due to the capture of the judiciary by family dynasties, the politicization of appointments, and the profiling of the judiciary as corrupt,” the communiqué stressed.