Tag: accountability

“...The issue is not whether Diezani Alison-Madueke’s lawyers are competent to file applications from across the Atlantic. The more fundamental question is whether a defendant who has consistently declined to present herself before a Nigerian court should enjoy unrestricted access to its procedural remedies. Can you ignore the coercive aspects of judicial authority while selectively enjoying its protections? The Supreme Court’s reasoning in *Nwaoboshi v. FRN* reminds us that respect for the law is a two-way street. If a high-profile defendant can stay abroad indefinitely, block forfeitures, and tender evidence via proxy without ever standing in the dock, we face a uncomfortable reality: submission to the authority of Nigerian courts is fast ceasing to be a requirement, and becoming merely an option. It turns the justice system into an *à la carte* menu—and it threatens the very credibility of our criminal justice system.”