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Habeas corpus Nigerian style
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In case you were wondering how that whole justice thing works in Nigeria, we got a real education this week.
Habeas corpus, for those of you who don’t remember your civics class, is Latin for, “you have the body.” About.com defines it thusly: a writ of habeas corpus is a judicial mandate requiring that a prisoner be brought before the court to determine whether the government has the right to continue detaining them. Something we here in the west take for granted.
In Nigeria, habeas corpus is a bit more literal.
In the case of Mohammed Yusuf, the fundamentalist leader of a Taliban like sect called Boko Haram, the police got the body. Of course, no one specified whether the body had to be alive or not.
Yusuf caused a lot of trouble, attacked government buildings and police stations, kidnapped women and children and generally made a nuisance of himself. The police reacted predictably. They ran him to ground.
He was arrested and died in police custody within hours. Wow…who saw that coming? Anyone? I mean, you’d think they would have waited a few weeks, let things die down. Maybe a show trial. But, no. They iced him. Immediately.
Now here’s the irony -- “Boko Haram,” means “education illegal."
I prefer to think that you alway pay for an education and ol' Yusuf, well, he sure got an education on how the police there deal with fanatics.
And we and the rest of the world are getting an education on how things work in Nigeria.
Police officials said he was killed after he tried to escape during a shootout. Press reports said that his body was seen lying in front of the police station, riddled with bullets and still wearing handcuffs. So, I'm thinking he wasn't using a pump action shotgun during that "shootout."
The police were also said to have been dancing around the bodies.
Apparently subtlety is not the Nigerian police force’s strong suit.
Of course, the Nigerian government is filled with remorse.
“It’s the best thing that could have happened to Nigeria,” said Dora Akunyili the Information Minister.
Oh.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called for an investigation. The police in Nigeria called for more beer.
In the meantime, you might take a moment to appreciate the little things in life like, habeas corpus, your right to a trial by a jury of your peers and last, but certainly not least... that whole bail thing.
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