93 4895 2014 Report On Terrorism: Nigerian Judiciary Under Fire

The US Department of State presented a new report on global terrorism on Friday, June 19, 2015. The latest 388-page document focuses on the countries most affected by terrorism and contains several crucial inputs about Nigeria and its war against the Boko Haram sect. According to the report, “the Nigerian government’s criminal justice institutions were not significantly strengthened in 2014, although several donor countries, including the UK, worked closely with the Ministry of Justice to assist in prioritizing how to investigate and prosecute suspected terrorism cases.” There have been more problems listed, with the Nigerian judiciary coming under heavy criticism: – a lack of coordination and cooperation between the Nigerian security agencies; – a lack of biometrics collection systems and the requisite data bases; – corruption; – misallocation of resources; – the slow pace of the judicial system, including a lack of a timely arraignment of suspected terrorist detainees; – lack of sufficient training for prosecutors and judges to understand and carry out the Terrorism (Prevention) Act of 2011 (as amended). The study indicates that the “Nigerian government’s efforts to address grievances among Northern populations, which include high unemployment and a dearth of basic services, made little progress. Some state governments in the North attempted to increase education and employment opportunities, with little support from the federal government.” The report recommends the Buhari administration “to employ a more comprehensive strategy to address Boko Haram that combines security efforts with political and development efforts to reduce Boko Haram’s appeal, address legitimate concerns of the people of northern Nigeria, and protect the rights of all of Nigeria’s citizens.” It would be note that the Nigerian Army confirmed that 504 people were in its custody in connection with the Islamist Boko Haram sect. Out of them, 350 suspected terrorists have been recommended for trial at a Federal Court for terrorist activities in the North East.