— By JESUTEGA ONOKPASA —
There can never be any justification for making a case for jungle justice, and, in any case, jungle justice is the very worst species of injustice and it can never aspire to the status of any kind of justice.
From a strict criminological perspective and, historically speaking, jungle justice has never served any deterrence purpose that contributed to the reduction of crime anywhere in the world.
The rule of law is what it is and anything besides is beastliness.
If a vessel must be set ablaze, the court must first permit that to happen and anyone with a contrary perspective to that is most shamefully advocating a descent into a state of nature.
There is simply absolutely no room whatsoever for vandalism under the rule of law.
Nigeria is not a banana republic neither a country without laws and you cannot destroy someone’s property without an order of court clearly and specifically permitting you to do so.
Besides, confiscating such property vide legal proceedings makes far better economic sense and serves the same criminological deterrence goal.
Too many of us Nigerians are just used to vandalous behaviour in this country but we cannot have that with President Bola Tinubu, the quintessential democrat and longstanding apostle of the rule of law in charge.
This idea of setting vessels and similar assets that might have become compromised in criminal activities ablaze, or, howsoever, destroying them, is pure idiocy, quite apart from being most barbaric and irretrievably illegal.
Why not simply confiscate the vessel vide appropriate legal proceedings rather than further pollute the environment with this utter stupidity?
And how dare you even set property ablaze which has not been forfeited upon legal proceedings?
The NNPCL, Tompolo and Tantita are vandals, rascals and thugs and shame on them (by the way I have sent Government Ekpemupolo, AKA, Tompolo, this message and shame on him, most especially).
This is how Peter Obi, the clown who wants to save Nigeria from himself, used to bulldoze houses in which kidnap victims were kept in Anambra, back when he was Governor, without any trial, much less conviction of anyone in a state and country with a critical housing deficit.
God has sent Batman with renewed hope for our country and we simply can’t have this in his era.
Onokpasa, a lawyer, was a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council and writes from Abuja.
