Princewill Odidi|17 February 2016|6:20am
The way and manner EFCC is currently organized, can they really fight crime in Nigeria at a national scale? But again, it appears DSS is meddling into the fight on economic crimes too. Does it really fall within their terms of reference or scope of intervention? lets leave that conversation for another day.
But to be candid, to think that a central agency can curb crime and criminality operating from Abuja in a country of 160 million people is akin to a joke and child's play.
EFCC has operated mostly on the pages of newspaper and Facebook. Perceived criminals are arrested, detained a few days and bailed. In most cases, that's the end of the story.
The question is: does EFCC really have the human and technical capacity to arrest and prosecute crime in Nigeria, and does the state prosecutors working with EFCC have the moral integrity to resist kick backs amidst poverty and low pay, and does the court clerks and registrars have the moral integrity to be upright and process cases without fear or favor?
In my judgement, the best way to curb crime in Nigeria would be to decentralize EFCC and allow them operate independently at local governments and states level.
Crime is better handled locally and local governments should be made financially independent to prosecute crimes at their level. We will continue to live in a fools paradise if we ever think we can fix Nigeria by tackling crime on a national front. Think of it, since EFCC was formed, how many high profile economic criminals have been properly convicted?
To be frank, internationally, Crime is better handled locally and local governments should be made financially independent to prosecute crimes at their level. We will continue to live in a fools paradise if we ever think we can fix Nigeria by tackling crime on a national front.
Attempting to tackle crime nationally will only end up politicizing arrest and criminality, politicizing the process of prosecution and detention, politicizing the judiciary and also ethnictization of prosecution, criminality, and the selective application of the rule of law.
Think of it, since EFCC was formed, how many high profile economic criminals have been properly convicted?
Arresting perceived criminals and parading them in handcuffs is merely a show for the gallery. To fight crime, either EFCC is decentralized, the offices of state prosecutors properly funded and staffed to meet public capacity, the judiciary funded and judges properly remunerated, the punishment for crime reviewed to serve as deterrent to would be criminals especially economic criminals, the rule of law respected, separation of powers institutionalized, the penal system and prisons refurbished and funded and their local capacity developed to meet international best practices.
While President Buhari has announced to the world about his determination to fight crime and stop corruption in Nigeria, its time we move from mere rhetoric's and media hype of arrest, handcuffs and detentions, its time we see prosecution and actual sentencing. The world is watching.
Princewill Odidi writes from Atlanta.
