Former Nigeria’s Minister of External Affairs, Professor Ibrahim Gambari has advocated for review of criminal justice system, saying the current system only favours criminals.
Gambari made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the 5th International Africa Peace and Conflict Resolution Conference, organised by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) in collaboration with Centre for African Peace & Conflict Resolution, California State University, United States.
He stressed that for peace to reign in Nigeria, perpetrators of violent crimes must be held accountable for their actions.
“Anyone denied of justice has no business with peace,” Gambari said at the event themed, “Restorative & Community Justice: Prospect, Challenges & Lessons”.
He expressed concern over the poor implementation of recommendations from various commissions of enquiries set up to investigate violent conflicts.
In his welcome address, the Director General of IPCR, Professor Oshita Oshita, said Nigerian authorities must design a context-relevant model of restorative justice, because there is no one-size-fits-all model anywhere in the world.
