“I Forgot” – The Mid-Point Between Guilty And Not Guilty

I am merely concerned with recent amendments to the basic take-of point of any litigation. That point where the Clerk of the court, after reading out the charge (s) against an accused person, asks the all important question; “what plead thee, guilty or not guilty?”.

Until this case against the CJN at CCT, I did not know that an accused person had other options of plea asides “Guilty or not Guilty”. Today,  “I forgot” has become a precedent response in our judicial system. After all it has been used by the man in charge of the highest court of the land.

I’m really beginning to consider the place of deliberate ignorance in modern day jurisprudence. The Chief Justice of Nigeria has been quoted in the media as saying he forgot to keep the extant laws, and all we have done is to dust up our ethnic and political lenses to view justifiably the deliberate ignorance of the Chief Custodian of Justice.

I trust our Naija Elites. Soon, we shall read about more horrendous offences wherein the culprits will plead “I forgot”. Only then shall we begin to rethink our commitment as a people to making this Nation work.

“This is Libel Mazi”, oh! “I FORGOT” Libel is an offence punishable by the law.

Funny Country.

© Mazi Ejimofor Opara