The United States Government recently released its ‘2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Nigeria’, shedding light on significant issues within Nigeria’s judicial system.
One major concern highlighted by the report was the arbitrary arrests of individuals like Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), by Nigerian security personnel.
Emefiele’s case, in particular, drew attention as he was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) on June 10 for what was termed “investigative reasons.”
Despite being granted bail by a Federal High Court in Lagos on July 25, directing him to be held at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre until bail was secured, there were attempts by the DSS to rearrest him, resulting in a confrontation between DSS agents and officers from the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Similarly, Nnamdi Kanu, who had been designated as a leader of a government-designated terrorist organization, IPOB, faced detention by the DSS on grounds of national security.
Although facing charges of treason, terrorism, and illegal possession of firearms, Kanu had fled abroad in 2017 after jumping bail, only to be arrested and returned to Nigeria in 2021.
In a twist, an appeal court in Abuja dropped all charges against Kanu in 2022 and ordered his release, a decision that the federal government appealed.
However, the Supreme Court overturned the appeals court ruling on December 15, asserting that Kanu still faced terrorism charges despite acknowledging rights violations during his arrest and extradition. Consequently, Kanu remained incarcerated by the year’s end.
The report also delved into systemic challenges within Nigeria’s judicial framework, including a shortage of trial judges, trial backlogs, endemic corruption, bureaucratic inertia, and undue political influence.
It pointed out logistical issues such as the shortage of vehicles to transport detainees to court and instances of authorities losing case files, exacerbating delays in legal proceedings.
