By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
LIKE the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) carved out of the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Government has been charged to create special courts for electoral offences.
A Delta-based legal practitioner, Chief Robinson Ariyo, made the advocacy for special courts saying it will serve as a deterrent to others and also strengthen democracy.
Stonix News reports that the Itsekiri chief, who’s the Egogo (mouthpiece) of Warri kingdom, made the advocacy while fielding questions during a phone-in television programme on Delta Broadcasting Service, Asaba.
Ariyo, a Rights Activist and Development expert, decried a situation where perpetrators of election crimes continue to escape justice – a situation, he added, has escalated electoral infractions.
He opined that having special courts to deal with election crimes, in line with the economic theory of Division of Labour, would also enhance professionalism and quick dispensation of justice.
“Where a particular number of judges are dedicated to a particular part of law, over a period of time, they become so accustomed to it, such that they have all the principles at their finger tips.
“Unlike assigning them to general principles of law where they would have to be reading as wide as possible.
“If you look at the trends in most courts in Nigeria today, the courts are now being compartmentalized into the different branches of law.
“For instance, only about three or four years ago we started having High Courts in Delta State where some focus on criminal aspects of the law while others focus on civil aspects of law.
“If you were to come to the Warri court for example, out of the four courts that are there, two of them are dedicated to cases whose subjects matter are civil proceedings, then the other two, cases whose subjects matter are criminal proceedings.
“In other words, as you go higher in human civilization, you’d begin to know that one person alone cannot handle a vast discipline!
“It is only in Nigeria that, unfortunately, you have legal practitioners being general practitioners.
“In other climes, you don’t have Barristers and Solicitors blended together,” he explained.
Ariyo said although he respects the views of those arguing against having special courts for election offences because there are already enough courts to adjudicate over issues that cover even electoral offences, he averred that courts were overburdened with cases.
“While that may be true, we also know that our courts are overloaded with cases.
“Which means, when we think that the principle of ‘Justice delayed is Justice denied,’ we need to do something to ensure that we do something to reduce the workload,” he averred.
He buttressed his call further by making reference to the EFCC which he said wasn’t a duplication of the police duties.
“We had other security agencies when the EFCC was created.
“There’s nothing EFCC is doing that can’t be done by the police and other security agencies.
“But it was in line with the principles of compartmentalizing duties and enhancing professionalism that EFCC was created.
“EFCC should not try to strangulate the very principles that brought them into being.
“What brought them into being was the need to have specialization.
“Now we want to go up a little bit further than that. If specialization to EFCC amounts to trying to deny the rationale that gave birth to you, simply because you feel that perhaps, it will reduce your scope of influence, but that is not the case.
“It only means you have less work to do and you have more time to focus on your core duties,” Ariyo averred.
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