By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu has been advised to consider setting up a special court to try cases related to crude oil theft, economic sabotage and corruption.
This suggestion was given by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in a statement on Wednesday signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema.
The group noted that 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.
It stated that the agency responsible for the new court should also deploy advanced technology to tackle crude oil theft, economic sabotage, and corruption.
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.
The party believes that 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 association emphasised that Nigerians should not fund the luxury of offenders who have reduced accruable revenues to near zero and misappropriated funds meant for the masses, noting that an improvement in the country’s legal framework is necessary to minimize trial duration and prevent innocent persons from remaining on awaiting trial lists endlessly without conviction.
It also highlighted that oil theft cases have gone on for over 10 years, and some corruption cases have not been concluded for about 20 years. The party emphasized that no country can progress with a defective justice system that runs at snail’s speed.
Furthermore, the CNPP 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.