INDICTMENT – ACT, A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR THE IGNORANT AND THE VOICELESS
Considering a situation when someone is accused of a crime the person actually committed, such an approach should be viewed as a bold step towards addressing such concern. But when the story evolves in a different dimension it often creates an awful outcome. However, according to reports, it’s been observed that the act of ‘indictment’ has not helped in addressing the immediate societal concerns, instead, the subject has emerged as a huge source of societal imbalance.
In order to address this properly, it will be fair to put it all down nicely precisely from the honest point of view. However, this could be viewed as a cruel attempt when the subject’s concern is deliberately imposed on the innocent. Owing to the fact that abuse and denial of a fair hearing is often the case when issues like this evolve. Nonetheless, our primary concern couldn’t have been otherwise other than its unlawful imposition that is snapping lives into jails. While core offenders of this act in many ways feel untouchable precisely the influential and those at the corridors of power, instead the less privileged feel the pinch, and so, to ensure there is fairness, one will understand that there is a need to structure counter efforts against a process that is already gaining momentum.
“Failing to indict a criminal sitting president sends the message that those in power are above the law.”―DaShanne Stokes
Meanwhile, judging from the current position of things, it’s noticed there is this mindset that the fear of the subject outcome will grow in every passing year, and to curb this scourge, it has become necessary that persons accused of this crime should be tried within seventy-two (72) hours in a law court in a bid to ensure that the ugly situation of letting an innocent to rot behind bars all in the name of awaiting trial is avoided.
“An indictment is not a conviction.” – Howard Coble
Moreover, a number of persons that were accused in one way or the other regarding the subject crime – indictment hadn’t good experience which they classified – horrible precisely the voiceless in the society, owing to the fact that they were either innocent or unable to hire a legal practitioner. Hence, the right to a fair hearing was denied. While badly enough – which may sound strange for many is that which has also been figured out as one of the root cause regarding our concern – traced to ill practices meted out by some law enforcement personnel’s that are collaborating with some notable figures in the society.
Each time the untouchable go scot-free in the face of such an outcome, the innocent are often left with a number of questions. What is the rationale, when stakeholders seem immune to societal laws! Yet;
“I do not know the method of drawing up an indictment against a whole people.” – Edmund Burke
ABU’S CASE:
The subject victim was actually an Arabic student of Adeniran Ogunsayan College of Education situated in Lagos State before he was indicted with a crime he hadn’t knowledge of. However, things became complex after his parents had decided that the subject victim and their family need to go in separate ways due to religious concerns.
But the whole drama – his latest nightmare all started on a faithful day he boarded a bus but unknown to him that, that wasn’t just a commercial vehicle, rather, a team of armed robbers. And while on transit, one of the occupants on-board whom he thought to be a co-personnel with the driver suddenly snatched his bag after the vehicle stopped in a particular location. But he couldn’t restrain from going after him, which he did in order to have his bag retrieved but resulted in a fight. While in the process the whole drama became clear when he figured out that he was actually in their territory, and to assure him that he wasn’t dreaming the community head ordered him to sit on the floor, amazingly he did, but was questioned over fighting his boys.
The young man thought presenting his Nigerian army gate pass identity card including his current school ID would help address issues, instead, it worsened the whole thing as he was rather asked to bail himself with the sum of 20,000 Naira, yet, after they had made away with his wallet, while in addition to all that, he equally went ahead and presented an affidavit which is in accordance with the Lagos state stipulation, which also didn’t help the issue. Sadly enough, the whole drama turned ugly after the community head got across to the police having established an understanding with the team that came for his arrest, eventually, on their arrival, they only asked – is he the suspect! And that was how he was arrested and charged over a crime he didn’t commit.
- What’s your take on this matter – indictment?
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