Jury system cannot work in Nigeria ―Sagay

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7 years ago

THE chairman of the Presidential Advisory on Anti-Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay SAN on Tuesday pointed out that the use of a jury system for administration of criminal justice will not work effectively in Nigeria because of the high rate of corruption.

Sagay who said this at a One-Day Symposium hosted by the Human Rights Committee of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said that though he initially supported the abolishment of the jury system in Nigeria in1986 by the military, the high level of corruption of the nation’s judiciary has changed his view.

“I initially supported the abolishment in 1986 for two reasons, the first was my belief that laymen could be influenced in making their decision.

“My naive view at the time was that a judge being learned in the law will resist outside influence.

“The second reason was that adopting the jury system will further elongate the administration of criminal justice,” Sagay said.

He said that his views changed because of recent cases of corruption in the judiciary and legislature, he noted that legal knowledge is used as a tool to evade justice.

“Corruption in the judiciary is so rampant that I no longer hold the same view.

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“Corruption in the legislature is so rampant that is why I have a running battle with them.

“Technical legal knowledge is now used as a barrier in the administration of the law, there is a culture of esprit de corps among judges.

“This esprit de corps can be cited in many cases where judges cannot convict their pairs charged with corruption.

“It dawned on me that legal knowledge will make a judge prone to legal technicalities.

“This is why I became convinced that criminal justice cannot be dispensed in Nigeria except ordinary men and women who have a sense of outrage, decency, sense of wrongdoing, common sense and morality to hear criminal cases,” he said.