09/07/2026
In other countries, when a Nigerian is caught in the act of committing a crime, he is arrested, charged to court, and if found guilty, imprisoned.
However, in Nigeria, when a foreigner is caught in the act of committing a crime, you’ll sometimes find a Nigerian willing to help him escape liability. That is the level of inferiority complex we are dealing with.
For context, the Mining Marshals arrested a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) who tried to shield Chinese nationals facing trial for illegal mining offences in Nasarawa State. Rather than allow the law to take its course, he is alleged to have assisted in a plot to help the suspects evade justice.
The irony is that while the Chinese nationals were already standing trial for alleged illegal mining, the police officer who was supposed to uphold the law is now also facing criminal charges for allegedly obstructing justice.
No foreigner should be above the laws of Nigeria. If anyone,whether a police officer, public official, or private citizen, helps a suspect escape justice, that person should also answer to the law.
The rule of law cannot survive if those entrusted to enforce it become the ones frustrating it.
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