Nigerian lawmaker Bello El-Rufai has criticised what he describes as inconsistencies in the country’s justice system, after comparing the sentencing of a convicted terrorist with that of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Speaking during a plenary session on Thursday, the House of Representatives member referenced the recent conviction of Hussaini Ismail, identified as a member of the Ansaru faction of Boko Haram, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a high court.
El-Rufai questioned why Ismail received a shorter sentence than Mr Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who was handed a life sentence last week.
“There was a conviction recently of a Boko Haram terrorist, Hussaini Isma’il, and he was sentenced to 20 years,” he said. “Last week, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was convicted, and his sentence was life imprisonment. I don’t understand why one terrorist is getting 20 years while another is getting a life sentence. This gives the impression that justice is applied differently in Nigeria.”
The lawmaker, who is the son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, said the disparity undermines public confidence in the fairness and accountability of Nigeria’s judiciary.
While commending President Bola Tinubu for unveiling a national security overhaul, El-Rufai urged parliament to ensure that the government follows through with “clear timelines and measurable execution plans”.
“Our problem is not in making plans,” he said. “It is in executing them.”