‘Rise of terrorism not due to defects in law’

He stated this while delivering a lecture entitled : “prosecuting terrorism offences and crimes against humanity; Nigeria vs. the rest of the world” at the just concluded annual General Conference (AGC) ofthe Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) which took place recently in Owerri,  Imo State.He said that the steady rise in acts of terrorism in Nigeria […]

He stated this while delivering a lecture entitled : “prosecuting terrorism offences and crimes against humanity; Nigeria vs. the rest of the world” at the just concluded annual General Conference (AGC) of
the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) which took place recently in Owerri,  Imo State.
He said that the steady rise in acts of terrorism in Nigeria cannot be attributable to defects in our laws.
The Terrorism Prevention Act (TPA) which according to him emphasizes respect for the fundamental rights of suspects or accused persons.
He mentioned that before an individual may be detained for investigation purposes for a period in excess of the constitutionally permitted time, the investigating body must seek and obtain an order
of the Federal High court.
He added that since inception of the TPA 2011, the law has been employed to prosecute at least 40 cases out of which judgments have been delivered in about 15.
This according to him is remarkable because criminal trials in Nigeria are reputed to last for over five years.
“In spite of these achievements, it cannot be said that the law has been effective in checking the menace of terrorism (or serving as a deterrent) given the fact that the acts of terrorism have been on a steady rise in Nigeria but this failure is not attributable o defects in the law,”  Ahmed Raji said.