Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Sokoto State, Nasiru Mohammed Binji, emphasised that the notion of Nigerians being lawless, as suggested by some, is misleading.
Gatekeepers News reports that he noted that while there may be instances of misconduct by a minority, these should not be seen as indicative of a general lack of lawfulness among the population.
Binji, in a recent interview, discussed the relationship between law and good governance, asserting that Nigeria possesses a robust legal framework that can stand in comparison with those of other jurisdictions.
However, he pointed out that the effectiveness of these laws is often hampered by issues such as impunity and delays in court proceedings, which pose significant challenges to law enforcement.
His words: “…We are not lawless, there might be instances of lawlessness, like the banditry in the North-West, the insurgency in the North -East and other forms of crisis in the South -South and elsewhere in Nigeria. But these instances are not overwhelming, because Nigerians are governed by laws.
“We are not lawless, as some people would think. To the contrary, we are very law-abiding citizens.
“In Sokoto state maybe we have about 400 criminal cases in our high courts and other courts, for a state of about seven million people with just about 400 cases, you will certainly agree with me that we are not lawless.
He noted that, due to the law-abiding nature of the population in the state, judges are not overwhelmed with cases.
“I want to agree with you that they are not overworked not just because the people are law abiding but because we have 24 judges in Sokoto state high court, the number helps to ensure that the judges are not overwhelmed with cases,” he said.
He said there were five divisions, and about 40 magistrates and many judges of the Sharia Courts performing their duties in the state as expected.
“They are significantly up to the task, it is just that they are not overwhelmed by the number of cases assigned to their respective courts,” he said.
However, he mentioned that laws are constantly evolving to keep pace with societal changes. He emphasized that the country, through its relevant institutions, has a responsibility to amend laws to align them with the current realities.
