SELECTIVE JUSTICE IN A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: THE CASES OF AONDOAKAA, ADOKE AND MALAMI
“Justice is the bond of men in states, and the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society.”
— Aristotle, Politics
Celphas Iyorhen’s essay of 23rd May, 2026, titled, ‘What Nigeria Did To Aondoakaa That It Never Did To Adoke And Malami.’, argued that, “Nigeria has a long tradition of deploying its institutions selectively against those it considers expendable and protecting those whose political and religious affiliations align with the centres of federal power.” — Celphas Iyorhen
In the essay, Celphas Iyorhen seems to be fighting a battle against selective justice based principally on ethnoreligious prejudices. Although the three men under his focus are from the Northern Region of Nigeria, he felt that Aondoakaa, because of his different religious orientation was discriminated against with respect to the punishment served on him compared to Messrs Adoke and Malami.
The essay brings to mind a Yoruba idiom, which addresses misplacement of priority in daily life. It says literally that ‘A wiseman does not allow a deforming and destructive disease of leprosy to fester while focusing treatment on skin ringworm’.
Celphas Iyorhen seems to be concerned about fighting for “equal justice” for unrepentant criminal Attorney Generals under the Nigeria’s Injustice System. We need to ask, What have these three former Ministers of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation — Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, Mohammed Bello Adoke, and Abubakar Malami — have in common?
These three Very Irresponsible Personalities (VIPs) were indicted for serious criminal offences — stupendous and unimaginable economic and financial corrupt practices. The treasonable offences occurred when they held the most sacred and prestigious post of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
These three high-powered criminal scoundrels abused their official positions and betrayed the oath of office they swore to protect when they accepted to “serve as the chief law officer of the federation and the primary legal adviser to the Federal Government of Nigeria”. But, during their tenure in office, they turned themselves into the ‘Chief Criminal Officers of the Federation and the Primary Law Thrashers to the Federal Government of Nigeria’.
Now, Celphas Iyorhen suddenly became blind to the larger picture of the ‘Criminal-enhancing Justice System of Nigeria’. But, he was still able to strain his eyes to behold a floating clean pooh in a swamp full of disgusting excrement. Does it mean that the Justice System is only relevant for critical attention and rigorous interrogation when one’s ethnic criminal peers are excluded from receiving exclusive privilege passes to protect them from facing the full weight of justice like other criminals of their ruinous class?
What is Celphas Iyorhen really trying to achieve by bringing these scandalous events to the attention of the public?
Is he fighting to uphold justice, irrespective of whose horse is gored? Or is he fighting for a redress only because one of his ethnic villain is gored?
Is there any ‘criminal baby’ worth saving in the bathtub of the ‘Criminal-Enhancing Injustice System’ of Nigeria?
Dele Farotimi wrote a book titled, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’. [I would have preferred the title to be ‘Nigeria and its Criminal-Enhancing Injustice System’]. The book catalogued ample evidences to demonstrate that from the Supreme Court to the lowest Courts; from the Inspector General of Police to the Constables; and from the highly decorated SAN lawyers to the lowly bail-and-charge lawyers, the concept of Justice and what actually goes on in the courts — with respect to law and order — have been comprehensively bastardised, deformed, and defanged. Dele Farotimi surmised that the legal profession has been so damaged to the extent that it has become a misnomer to refer to it as a Justice System.
Therefore, one can accurately state that what Nigeria has in place as a Justice System with its pathetic, soul-poisoning idiosyncrasies, and sadly, which everyone in the polity has accepted or adjusted to as normal, is actually a Criminal-Enhancing Injustice System.
The incontrovertible truth is, Nigeria is yet to establish a worthwhile Justice System that is wholly or partially free from corruption. Whence, looking for equity and fairness in the apportioning of justice and punishment under an absurdly distorted justice system that was deliberately built by Britain on a fraudulent political amalgamation, and later repackaged by dishonourable political leaders as a fraudulent independent political country, is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
History tells us that it was the dishonourable political dealers of our kind that agreed to receive a fraudulent flag independence, a fraudulent population census figure, and a fraudulent British-friendly Constitution.
Later on, it was the dishonourable political dealers who willingly, dubiously and conspiratorially accepted from the discredited military prodigal sons, a fraudulent Sharia-friendly Constitution, a fraudulent democratic practice, a fraudulent electoral law and fraudulent election results.
In addition, the dishonourable political dealers established National/State Assemblies, which are unmistakably populated by people of dubious pedigree and obnoxious characters. Also, the dishonourable political dealers in government invited and appointed fraudulent friends and families, who are easily amenable to corrupt practices, as Cabinet ministers, commissioners and chairpersons of government agencies.
With these level of fantastically grandiose, corrupt institutions, which were deliberately established to escalate frivolous personal aggrandisement of the dishonourable political dealers in the country, for Nigerians to nurture favourable expectations that these fraudulent institutions will deliver impartial justice to the zombified, brainwashed and indoctrinated indigenous peoples of Nigeria, is like turning ourselves into myopic wishful thinkers.
Living And Rejoicing In Sin
Nigeria’s situation can be likened to a passage in Psalm 51:5, which says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity. And in sin my mother conceived me.” From the moment of conception and to the actual birth of Nigeria, Britain, the creator of Nigeria, was never a virtuous, faithful mother. Unfortunately, it is the indigenous peoples of Nigeria who are now reaping the unsavoury fruits of the sins of her unfaithful British creators.
At this stage of the national woes and tribulations, our solace will rely on the hope that Fellow Nigerians will truly wake up sooner than later from our induced hypnotic slumber; and from the cursed magical spells placed on us. And that Nigerians will truly see the need to repent and to snap ourselves out of the shameful destructive mindset that has become too comfortable with injustice, with the dehumanisation of each other and with unbridled avaricious lifestyles.
Then, we shall be able to grow the inner courage and the divine wisdom to go back to the drawing board in order to carefully erase all the impractical political, social, economic and spiritual ideologies; the incongruous institutional designs; and the ill-fitting governance structures that the British Deep State have built around our imprisoned minds and country.
Then, we shall be truly free to reflect on the need to change our wayward ways, to dream rational and realistic dreams; to design new political, economic, social and spiritual ideologies; to create life-enhancing political and economic structures; and to establish institutions of governance that uplift rather than exploit the people for the benefit of each and everyone in the polity.
Then, Nigerians can begin the real discussion on social justice in the true rational sense, letter and spirit of the concept.
Then, we can appreciate and understand clearly what Aristotle meant about Justice, when he says, “… justice is the bond of men in states, and the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society.” — Aristotle, Politics
Then, we shall no longer reduce criminal justice to merely fighting to defend ethnic favouritism, tribal squabbles, sectarian biases and juvenile prejudices.
Then, Justice will for ever remain about the defence of fundamental moral and ethical principles on which our revised higher standards of social values and cultural etiquettes shall be rooted.
Then, as a reborn society that is determined to live under divine rules of noble justice and righteousness, each and everyone of us — not just the Very Irresponsible Personalities — shall begin to reap the pleasantly satisfying fruits of a Justice System built on “fairness, justness, fair play, fair-mindedness, equity, egalitarianism, impartiality, objectivity, open-mindedness, non-partisanship; honour, uprightness, decency, integrity, probity, honesty, morality, virtue, propriety, scrupulousness, trustworthiness, and incorruptibility.”
Wake Up My People. It Is Still Possible To Build A New Justice System Where Love, Peace And Justice Shall Prevail.
In The Spirit Of Truth (#ITSOT)
SAM ABBD ISRAEL
Notes:
Aristotle, Politics https://archive.org/details/aristotlespolit00aris/page/n4/mode/1up
Dele Farotimi (2024) ‘Nigeria and It’s Criminal Justice System’
The Holy Bible, Psalm 51:5 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+51&version=NKJV
Celphas Iyorhen https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Hb3ArbYwz/?mibextid=wwXIfr
ITSOT 