Nigeria’s Directors of Public Persecutions

Douglas Ogbankwa 

First of all, I want to say not all States in Nigeria are affected by the things in this article. In States where the issues stated happen, not everyone is involved in the justice heist going on.

I will start this article by giving a true life story that happened in one of the States of Nigeria. A suspect was invited to the police station, his statement was taken from him and he was released on bail. His case was investigated and same was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution for advice. An Advice was issued and it stated that he had a case to answer. He was invited by the Police for arraignment the next day. While he was at the police station, the suspect asked the Police to give him a few hours that he will get a report from the DPP that he has no case to answer. The bewildered Police Men asked him if it was possible. He answered in the affirmative that in a few hours a report will come out, that they should leave him in their office. In a few hours, fresh from the oven of sleaze, a report came out and the man grinning with smiles told them “I tell una say I go get am”. The case was taken up by complainant’s lawyer who had traction even with the Governor. It then came to light that a corrupt official in the office of the DPP did the damage without the knowledge of the DPP. He was only transferred from the office to another office and now, he is back to base.

Guess what? Another report has surfaced saying he now has another case to answer. One Case, 3 DPP Reports. What a shame and sham?

Any person that knows the Ministry of Justice, knows that people lobby to be in the office of the DPP. Your guess regarding the reason for it is as good as mine.

Policemen often joke that ‘I nor get any suspect wey the people for DPP go take “shine”, charge the case straight to Court.’ Some Offices of the DPP in some states in Nigeria, are run like a witch coven with so much secrecy and cartel like structure.

The DPP himself or herself in some States in Nigeria is not the most qualified sometimes but the one that will do the bidding of the Governor and his men. The DPP in some cases in some states are tools used by political goons to persecute some real or perceived political enemies, while sometimes some boys of some Governors and their men are given no case to answer.

Every Governor should do a forensic cleansing of its Ministry of Justice, which people in some States call “Ministry of Injustice “.

There is a whole lot of injustice going on , while people are smiling to the bank. A lot of innocent people are rotting in prisons all across Nigeria, while the culpable are walking free.

Some of the Charges drafted by some of these agents of injustice are often laughable and very disgraceful. Shame should be taught as a subject in our classrooms in secondary schools. This is to enable some people have a sense of shame.

In one particular case in one of the States in Nigeria, the autopsy result of a 16 year old girl killed by suspected ritualist posing as a boyfriend to the girl was not filed in court by some of the officials of the office of the DPP, so that the alleged killer who was charged for murder can be granted bail. It took a Petition to the Attorney General for the report to get the Court, same day after the hearing of the bail application. Luckily, My Lord did not grant the bail.

In one of the States of Nigeria, in another case of forgery that has all the elements of forgery, including forensic reports from the CIMRS Laboratory, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, the case file has taken a flight under the guise that it got burnt in a fire that is being used as excuse to kill any case where there is an interest, while those that came from the rubble are rescued and brought to life in any way possible like a Pastor raising the dead to life.

Sometimes, when officials of the DPP talk to lawyers about some cock and bull stories, they forget that we all ate the three compulsory dinners at the Nigeria Law School, before our call to bar, so there is nothing you do, that we do not know.

This is just a tip of the iceberg of what is going on. *Police dey learn*

By: Douglas Ogbankwa Esq.@douglasogbankwa@gmsil.com.