The Governors of the North-East states battling terrorism have urged the Federal Government to issue a special fiat to enable the states to expeditiously prosecute Boko Haram members.
According to Sunday Punch, the governors lamented that the general fiat which the FG issued on October 7, 2016, through the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, authorising states to prosecute federal offences was not enough to prosecute suspected terrorists.
The governors of the three worst-hit states – Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states – were said to have made the demand through their state’s Attorneys General and Commissioners of Justice.
Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have killed tens of thousands of people since 2009 and displayed millions, including women and children.
No fewer than 5,000 captured insurgents are said to be awaiting trial in custodial centres across the federation, with Solicitor-General of the Federation, Dayo Apata noting that N350 million has been earmarked for the prosecution of the Boko Haram suspects out of the total N2 billion earmarked for legal services by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
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The request for the special fiat came amid a lawsuit in which 101 Boko Haram suspects sued the Federal Government for keeping them in detention for 12 years without trial.
They are demanding N303 million in compensation in the lawsuit filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The governors had first demanded the special fiat during a meeting of the North East Governors Forum held in Yola, Adamawa State in November 2020, with the forum’s Chairman, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, arguing that the general fiat did not cover prosecution of terrorism suspects.
Speaking on why a special fiat was needed, Commissioner for Justice in Borno State, Mr Kaka Shehu Lawan, “Yes I am in receipt of the general fiat by the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute all offenders who commit federal offences in any of the 36 states of the federation but he (Malami) didn’t give us a specific fiat to prosecute Boko Haram insurgents.
“What we want from the Attorney General of the Federation is for him to give us a specific fiat and collaboration to prosecute Boko Haram insurgents in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states where the Boko Haram insurgents commit crime against the Nigerian federation.”
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