The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has commended the speed with which Finland judiciary tried and convicted Simon Ekpa on terrorism related charges to Nigerian judges prosecutors.
Paijat -Hame District Court in Finland in a judgment sentenced Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.
In the judgment Ekpa was found guilty of participating in a terrorist organisation and publicly incited crimes for terrorist purpo
Reacting to the conviction, President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, who said he was yet to get full details of the Finland court judgment, stated that he was highly impressed with the short time it took to conclude investigation and trial.
Osigwe stated this while presenting the communique from the NBA’s Annual General Conference (AGC), which held in Enugu recently.
“I look at the time it took to do the trial,
and the sort of evidence relied on by the court in order for them to arrive at a decision. That should be a lesson for us”, he said.
The NBA president noted that trials takes a longer time in Nigeria because “most judges still write longhand” instead of embracing technology, adding that investigators and prosecutors should endeavour to get enough evidence, build up a good case before going to court.
Osigwe also called on Nigerian security agencies to awake to their responsibilities in checking abuse of social media, adding that, “persons who have access to social media should be careful how they utilize them to promote hate or terrorism”.
“We should look at those who are using it to provide ethnic hatred, to promote terrorism, and get hold of such, and try them”, rather than filing cyber-bullying charge against citizens in political matters.