Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has advocated the establishment of special court for the trial of crude oil thieves.
It urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly set up a special court for the prosecution of suspected crude oil thieves, corruption, and economic sabotage in Nigeria.
CNPP made the call in a press statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema.
In the 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.
According to CNPP, 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 statement read: “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.”
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.
According to CNPP, an improvement in Nigeria’s legal framework is necessary to minimise trial duration and prevent innocent persons from remaining on awaiting trial lists endlessly without conviction.
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 emphasised that no country can progress with a defective justice system that runs at snail speed.
It 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.
