NEWS: US Blames Boko Haram Insurgency on Nigerian Judiciary

Nigeria - The United States government has blamed the persistent terrorist attacks by the Boko Haram sect on Northeastern Nigeria on the Nigerian judiciary.

 
 
A 2014 United States Report on Terrorism Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism said the Nigerian judiciary institution lacks the required strength to prosecute cases of terrorism as expected.

“Among the problems that deterred or hindered more effective law enforcement and border security by the Nigerian government, were lack of coordination and cooperation between Nigerian security agencies; a lack of biometrics collection systems and the requisite data bases; corruption; misallocation of resources; the slow pace of the judicial system, including lack of a timely arraignment of suspected terrorist detainees; and lack of sufficient training for prosecutors and judges to understand and carry out the Terrorism (Prevention) Act of 2011”

However, it commended some state governments in the North for attempting to increase education and employment opportunities though, with little support from the federal government.

The report also lauds several Nigerian government agencies including the Department of State Security(DSS), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Ministry of Justice for performing counterterrorism functions.