Extrajudicial Killings

STEMMING THE ALARMING RATE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS

An extrajudicial killing is the murder of a person for an alleged crime or offence carried out either by an individual or a group of persons without any official backing, directive or supervision from a court of law of competent jurisdiction through a legal proceeding.

Extrajudicial killing or punishment also known as ‘Jungle justice’, which is usually carried out either by a government agency or an angry mob or sometimes by an individual, has been on the rampage in recent times in such a manner that it requires a severe and drastic approach by the apt authority.

Extrajudicial punishment used to be a feature of politically repressive regimes, but lately even self-proclaimed or internationally recognized democracies have been known to use the measure under certain circumstances. But the truth of the matter is that, it is illegal and barbaric; hence, unacceptable.

Such actions typically happen quickly with security forces acting on a covert basis, performed in such a way as to avoid a massive public outcry and/or international criticism that would reflect badly on the state or country. Sometimes, the killers are agents outside the government; some criminal organizations have reportedly been employed for such a purpose.

In most cases, it is carried out by uniformed security forces in order to punish a victim, but under circumstances that would make it appear as self-defence or suicide. The former can be accomplished by planting recently fired weapons near the dead body, while the latter is observed via fabrication of evidence suggesting suicide. In such cases, it could be difficult to prove that the perpetrators acted wrongly.

Because of the dangers inherent in armed confrontation, even police or soldiers as the case may be, who might strongly prefer to take an enemy or a suspect alive may still be tempted to kill under a certain circumstance to protect themselves or the affected civilians, and potentially cross the line into extrajudicial murder.

In some cases, someone may be declared missing having been murdered by a certain group. A disappearance occurs where someone who is believed to have been targeted for extrajudicial execution is nowhere to be found. Their ultimate fate is thereafter unknown or never fully confirmed.  

Extrajudicial punishment may be planned and carried out by a particular branch of a state without informing other branches, or even without having been ordered to commit such atrocity. Other branches sometimes tacitly approve of the punishment in retrospect; they can also genuinely disagree with it depending on the circumstances, especially when complex intra-government or internal policy struggles exist within a state’s policymaking apparatus.

In times of war, natural disaster, societal collapse, anarchy, or in the absence of an established system of criminal justice, as the case may be, there may be increased incidences of extrajudicial punishment. In such circumstance, the Police or military personnel may be unofficially authorized to punish severely individuals involved in looting, riot as well as other violent acts such as massacre, especially if caught red-handed. This measure is sometimes itself corrupted resulting in the death of innocent persons who probably were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

More so, someone whose case is in court may be brutally murdered in cold blood by the aggrieved party or the plaintiff owing to inconsequential and unbearable delay of the court proceeding/hearing. This is why the various judicial custodians must be more proactive in discharging their official duties come rain come shine.

Currently, the most alarming aspect of extrajudicial killing or punishment is the one being carried out by a group of civilians referred to as ‘Angry mob.’ It is usually observed on the street, inside a motor park, or in a market arena when one is accused of stealing, pick-pocketing, or any form of jungle crime.

The mob often accomplish their mission by setting the suspect ablaze at the scene of the incident using fuel and condemned tyre, prior to the arrival of security personnel. The most painful part of the illogical act is that, an innocent person is mostly mistaken for the person who actually committed the crime.

It is worth noting that constitutionally if a suspect is allegedly guilty of a certain crime, he or she shall remain innocent until otherwise proven by any court of competent jurisdiction. Prior to the pronouncement of the final judgement by the concerned judicial custodian, the accused person/group is meant to be free in respect to civil cases or to be kept under the care of the appropriate security agency regarding a severe criminal case. Another fact we must note is that, sparing the life of a culprit would help the relevant security agency to apprehend his/her partners in crime.

Against this backdrop, and considering the enormous negative implication of extrajudicial punishments, there is a pressing need for the appropriate authorities to look inwards toward eradicating the anomaly, which has caused an unquantifiable damage to countries where it is harboured, particularly Nigeria.

Thus, special court especially mobile courts ought to be instituted to try anyone accused of any form of extrajudicial act without any fear or favour irrespective of his/her status or age. On their part, the various security agents must be fast enough while attending to any security call/invitation and should endeavour to live up to the expectation at all cost.

In addition, the civil society is required to sensitize the general public on the dangers of taking the law into their hands; they ought to be made to understand that no individual or group is above the law. By so doing, justice would be given its due regard thereby ushering in a country we have longed awaited. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED D.N NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)

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frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056  
Follow: @fdnnwaozor / @fred_nwaozor  

Matrimonial Battering

MATRIMONIAL BATTERING ON THE RAMPAGE

      

Battering is a pattern of bahaviour used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, which usually include the use of violence. In the same vein, Matrimonial Battering is a situation whereby a woman is battered by her legitimate husband.

Battering, which is indeed a criminal act, takes place when a person believes he/she is entitled to control another. In recent times, the most worrisome form of battering is the one that happens between married couples, which has degenerated into an alarming state.

Battering of a family member can take many forms. It may include emotional, economic and sexual abuses as well as isolation, use of male privilege, employment of threats and a variety of other behaviours used to maintain fear, intimidation and power. In all cultures, the perpetrators are most commonly the men of the family; suffice it to say that, women are mostly the victims of matrimonial battering or violence.

Among all forms of battering, it could be classified into two major types namely, physical battering and psychological battering. Physical battering is a situation where the abuser employs physical attacks or aggression, while psychological battering involves verbal abuse/harassment, excessive possessiveness, segregation of the woman from friends and family, deprivation of physical and economic resources, and destruction of the woman’s personal property. It is worth noting that physical battering, which is prevalent in most African particularly Nigerian homes, can also lead to psychological trauma.

Battering, which has taken a different dimension in several families in Nigeria, can be attributed to immaturity, alcoholism, hot temperament, infidelity or lack of love. Other causes include lack of male child, alleged barrenness, selfishness, influence and ignorance. Among these, the most prevalent factor that leads to battering is lack of love because if one truly loves his wife/partner, he can never make any attempt to hurt her even when he is under the influence of alcohol.

Survey shows that battering remains the major cause of the ongoing high rate of divorce or estrangement among married persons in Nigeria. Needless to say that if an adequate and drastic measure/approach is not taken towards curbing the anomaly, it is likely to render millions of our children vulnerable in near future thereby affecting their upbringing.

Acknowledging that marriage is the most intimate relationship two human beings can experience, second only to a relationship with God and that it is the only intimacy that brings out the best in someone, there is no gain saying that everyone has a responsibility towards preventing or eradicating battering or any form of domestic violence against women.

We can individually or collectively join in the crusade aimed at ending domestic violence or abuses against women, which has brought a colossal upheaval in various homes, by challenging any thought or attitude that allows such act to prevail in our respective societies.  

Let’s be conscious of the fact that, a woman who is suffering from matrimonial battering can do anything to protect herself with a view that such aberration would continue to repeat itself. In one of her books titled ‘Trauma and Recovery’, Judith Lewis Herman – an author and psychiatrist stated that, “The guarantee of safety in a battering relationship can never be based upon a promise from the perpetrator no matter how heartfelt. Rather, it must be based upon the self-protective capability of the victim…” She went further to state that, “Until the victim has developed a detailed and realistic contingency plan and has demonstrated her ability to carry it out, she will remain in fear and danger of repeated abuse.”

Considering the aforementioned primary attributes of marriage battering, it is obvious that anyone irrespective of status or age is liable to patronize the monster. To this end; first and foremost, parents or guardians must ensure that their children or wards as the case may be have attained a reasonable maturity stage before they would be encouraged to settle down or get married. In view of this, we ought to acknowledge that maturity is not only based on the age of the parties involved but including their level of exposure or experience.

As regards child bearing, acknowledging the tradition or desire of most men from this part of the world that a marriage that is yet to boast of a male child or a child at all is useless, our men must be meant to understand that a child is a gift from God and not by the making of their wives as they presume. In other words, anyone who is yet to have a male child should remain steadfast in his faith in God, and must note at all times that a woman cannot be confirmed or proven to be barren unless it is stated by her creator.

Inter alia, we ought to always have it at the back of our minds that marriage is “For better, for worse” as written in the Holy books. The religious organizations have a very vital role to play in this regard.

Above all, there is an urgent need for the law makers to enact a law that would assign a capital punishment to anyone found guilty of matrimonial battering or any form of violence/abuse against a woman. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)

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frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056
Follow: @fdnnwaozor or @fred_nwaozor

    

 

            

2015 World Public Service Day

ACKNOWLEDGING THE REWARD OF STEWARDSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY AS THE WORLD PUBLIC SERVICE DAY IS CELEBRATED TODAY TUESDAY JUNE 23, 2015

      

         

A public service is a service provided by government to the people living within its ambit or jurisdiction, either directly through the public sector or by financing provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus usually expressed via democratic elections that certain services ought to be available to all, irrespective of their income.

        

Even where public services are neither publicly provided nor publicly financed, for social and political reasons, they are usually subject to regulation going beyond that applying to most economic sectors. More so, public service is a course that can be studied at the tertiary institutions of learning. Common examples of public services units include the schools, armed forces, paramilitary bodies, fire brigade, health centres, and paramedics.

        

Public services are regarded as very important services, that for moral reasons, their universal provision ought to be guaranteed. They may be linked to fundamental human rights such as the right to water and the right to electricity, just as ‘service’ simply implies helping others with their specific need or want.

        

The term ‘Public services’ or ‘Services of general interest’ often includes education, health care, environmental protection, security, public utilities, law enforcement, postal service, public broadcasting, public library, public transportation, public housing, social services, telecommunications, town planning, and public sanitary services, just to mention but a few.

        

Any public servant, regardless of his or her status, is expected to stick strongly and passionately to the basic ethics or modus operandi of public service. A public servant, in any circumstance, is required to be sincere, trustworthy, transparent, punctual to duties, humble, respectable, serious-minded, vision-driven, accountable, unbiased, hardworking, and above all god-fearing.

         

For instance, government officials serve the people thereby managing the resources of others as stipulated by the law. With respect to the nature of this kind of stewardship, there is an expectation from the public that in conducting daily activities, the officials will practise fairness and equity. They are also expected to maintain openness in their activities to ensure that they are operating within the public’s perception of what is right and in line with the mandate of the constitution guiding their services.

        

Public officials are meant to see themselves as stewards rather than masters, as well as treat their respective jobs as means of helping people instead of dominating them. Public servants ought to note at all times that even a small percentage of misbehaviour on their part can cause a vast amount of harm or damage to the society they are serving.

         

Most importantly, public office holders should understand that certain absolute principles, such as honesty and transparency, are meant to be obeyed regardless of the consequences. Honesty or transparency is the primary product of one’s conscience. It is obvious that one who has cheated on his/her conscience has equally cheated nature; needless to say that the person must surely be visited by the law of karma, which states that ‘every work/action has a reward’ or ‘as you sow, so shall you reap’.

        

It is appalling and pathetic that currently, several public servants in Nigeria, especially the political office holders are not just cheats, but wolves in sheep clothing. The persons/officers in question are yet to realize that stewardship and accountability, which have an eternal reward, are meant to be the watchword of any public servant at all cost. This set of people is not just cankerworm to the treasury of the society/community involved, but remains the only nightmare faced by the society.

        

Most disturbingly, they see embezzlement of public funds, truancy, or lateness to duties, as a way of life. They often consider time management as an unreasonable and inconsequential factor in their everyday life. Most of them parade themselves like people who are beyond punishment, forgetting that no one escapes the consequences of his/her actions. This action of impunity is the singular reason they invariably litter the workers’ payroll with names of nonexistent beings widely known as ‘Ghost workers’.

        

Today Tuesday June 23, the international community is celebrating the 2015 World Public Service Day. In its resolution, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly designated 23^rd June each year as World Public Service Day. The Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community, highlight the contribution of public service in the development process, recognize the work of public servants, as well as encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. The annual observance of the Public Service Day highlights the invaluable contributions of public servants and administrators in our efforts to build a better world for all.

        

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate the World Public Service Day, I enjoin every public servant as well as the prospective ones in the country to acknowledge that the reward for unalloyed stewardship and accountability lasts for eternity, hence ought not to be overlooked for posterity sake. Think about it!

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)

____________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056