The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a special court to accelerate the trial of suspected crude oil thieves, corruption, and economic sabotage in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement signed by Comrade James Ezema, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the CNPP expressed alarm over the persistent revenue leakages in the country, which have led to increments in taxes and incessant hikes in petrol pump prices. The party believes that until a special court is established to address these issues, Nigerians will continue to bear the burden of the government’s failure to address these challenges.
The proposed special court should be mandated to limit the period of prosecution to not more than six months, ensuring that justice is served swiftly and efficiently. The agency responsible for the new court should also deploy advanced technology to tackle crude oil theft, economic sabotage, and corruption.
The CNPP insists that Nigerian people should not fund the luxury of offenders who have reduced accruable revenues to near zero and misappropriated funds meant for the masses. The party notes that an improvement in Nigeria’s legal framework is necessary to minimize trial duration and prevent innocent persons from remaining on awaiting trial lists endlessly without conviction.
The CNPP also highlighted that oil theft cases have gone on for over ten years, and some corruption cases have not been concluded for about twenty years. The party emphasized that no country can progress with a defective justice system that runs at snail speed.
Furthermore, the CNPP called on President Tinubu to order an end to the burning of vessels with suspected stolen crude oil and direct security agencies to prosecute suspected crude oil thieves and other offenders instead of destroying evidence against them.