Legal practitioner, Ekemini Udim has raised fresh concerns over the legal framework used in Nigeria’s fight against armed groups, stating that the offence of banditry, despite its frequent use in public discourse, is not recognized under Nigerian criminal law.
Udim made the remark during an interview from 1:51 on Channels Television, where he questioned the basis on which security agencies label certain suspects as “bandits” when the term does not appear as a defined criminal offence in existing statutes.
Udim, who has practiced law for several years, said his professional experience has never brought him across any case in which a suspect was formally charged for the offence of banditry in any Nigerian court. He stressed that the absence of such charges reflects a major gap in the nation’s legal and prosecutorial system, especially at a time when banditry is widely acknowledged as a major threat to national security.
“I’m a lawyer in practice. I have never heard anything like that in criminal law where someone is charged to the court for banditry, in the federal High Court or in the state High Court. So it’s unknown to the Nigerian criminal justice system,” he said, reiterating that neither federal nor state courts list banditry as a standalone offence.
According to Udim, this ambiguity has significant implications, as it potentially affects the ability of the government to prosecute suspects effectively and secure convictions that reflect the gravity of their alleged crimes. He noted that while suspects may be charged under related offences such as terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, or unlawful possession of firearms, the persistent use of the term “bandit” by both officials and the media creates the impression that it exists as a legal category when, in fact, it does not. View, More,
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