Lack of Effective Punishment for Bad Behavior Has Created Thriving Markets of Illegalities in Nigeria – Ezekwesili

Ezekwesili speaks on the abduction of Kaduna school children and teachers.

Calls for effective prosecution against criminals.

Former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili has called out social media, Twitter over the suspension of the account of Seun Onigbide, the CEO of BudGit.

She pointed on her social media page that some system vulnerability is being taken advantage of on Twitter Nigeria. She called for an investigation over the shutdown on the account of human rights activists.

“@Twitter @jack some system vulnerability is being taken advantage of on the @twitter #Nigeria street. Can you please restore the accounts of @seunonigbinde and @duchesskk ? These are two exceptional Nigerians whose works of impact in civil society are highly and widely regarded.

“@Twitter @jack Please note that although @seunonigbinde @duchesskk are of course following your institutional process to have their accounts reinstated, the serial pattern of activists being shut down needs to be systemically investigated. It is a worrisome development. Thanks,” she said.

READ: Nigeria Not Collapsing, Presidency Counters Ezekwesili

She maintained that her stance on the apprehension and conclusive prosecution of anyone involved in the abduction of Nigerians so as to serve as deterrent to others involved in the act.

“From the very beginning of @BBOG_Nigeria, one Key Demand we made of @NigeriaGov was the decisive apprehension and conclusive prosecution of ANYONE involved in abduction of Nigerians. We wanted this for Deterrent effect. Well, our Demand fell on deaf ears of our leaders.

“The failure of successive Administrations to heed Citizens’ Demand for effective and predictable Punishment or Penalty for Bad Behavior is what created thriving markets of Illegalities in our country. That our Children are victims of this Governance Failure breaks the heart.

“In the same way our Governmental systems and leaders failed our #ChibokGirls #DapchGirls #LeahSharibu so also this latest case of the 9 children kidnapped in Kaduna. There can be no Ifs or Buts, in punishing Crime in any society that cares about Law & Order.

“Those who abduct any of our NIGERIAN children (regardless of their region or religion) must be swiftly, decisively and conclusively prosecuted. That’s what Governments do. Do it. Do it!!”

She recalled that since 2014, the Bring Back Our Girls Advocacy Group (BBOG) had advocated setting up missing person register and creation of Missing Person Bureau but nothing has been done by successive government.

“As far back as 2014, we @BBOG_Nigeria placed the agenda of setting up a #MissingPersonsRegister and MissingPersonsBureau on the table of the @NigeriaGov.We started off the work on this after a while with the National Human Rights Commission. The FG stepped in and took it over.

“Reading this story of the kidnapped 9 children #Kano9 makes one feel extremely sad that our @BBOG_Nigeria
vision to have the @NigeriaGov set up a functional #MissingPersonsRegister and #MissingPersonsBureau remain unmet. There are simple ways to Safeguard our children. Why fail?

“Must we wait for another set of Nigerian children to be abducted by criminal gangs which today operate with a strong sense of utter impunity, before the @NigeriaGov realizes that the constant non-prosecution of Crimes is killing the country? Give #Justice to our Children NOW.”

With their demands unmet, Ezekwesili concluded that the only institution that can fight this is the government.

“Only one institution exists in society with the relevant power to roll back the thriving Market of Criminality in Nigeria today. That institution is not at all any group of Citizens. It the @NigeriaGov headed by @NGRPresident who at this time is @MBuhari. It is their DUTY. There are no halfway houses to substitute for this.

“Teaching our Citizens to know & understand who precisely they should Demand Accountability from when things happen in our country is the kind of workgroups like @EiENigeriamust continue to do.”

The arrest of Sowore is sad

Tweeting further, the human rights activists said the arrest of the convener of #RevolutionNow is a sad commentary on President Muhammadu Buhari.

“That a citizen, @YeleSowore has been unconstitutionally detained by the @NGRPresident-supervised DSS since August 3 just for seeking to mobilize his fellow citizens against Bad Governance is a sad commentary on
@MBuhari. Worse, however, is the complicity of the Judiciary. Tragic

“I read a news report that the Chief Justice of Nigeria had a few days ago, once again said: “ There will be grave consequences for disobedience of court orders “It the CJN award of the way that Justice T. Taiwo‘ Court Order for
@YeleSowore was subverted by his Judiciary & FG?

“Let me again thank @YeleSowore‘s lawyers, led by #FemiFalana for continuing to find ways around securing Freedom for the activist citizen whose call for #RevolutionNow was his expression of Right to Demand for Good Governance. You will succeed. Yele will get his Freedom.”

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