By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

YENAGOA -CRIMINOLOGISTS and forensic experts around the world have advocated for a radical revolution and comprehensive reforms in the criminal justice system to fight corruption particularly in Africa and other developing countries of the world.

According to the experts, weak institutional framework, loopholes and inadequacies in existing laws and legislations, have made corruption to continued to thrive, and therefore requires a rejiging and change of strategies and approach to tackle the menace.

The experts made these submissions during the 2024 Sixth Annual International Strategic Alliance Conference for Academic and Professional Development of the Chartered Examiners of Criminology and Forensic Investigation, USA, in partnership with the Afroredflag White Collar Protective Shield Program for Africa and the Niger Delta University, NDU, Bayelsa State,(FAFI/CIMFI).

The Conference which had as its theme; “Innovating for a Safer Future: Leadership, Criminal Justice, Artificial Intelligence, and Crime Investigation.” was held in the USA over the weekend and monitored online via zoom by its associates and partner’s around the world and its centre in Yenagoa,the Bayelsa State capital.

The keynote Speaker Prof Mannixs Paul, an expert in Strategic Leadership, Law, Management and Crime Investigation Practices, in his presentation on the topic:” The Future of Leadership in Crime Prevention and Justice,” called for inter disciplinary collaborations between law enforcement agencies, academicians, technical experts and law makers to ensure holistic approach to justice.

He posited that leaders must be visionary and adaptable to meet the complex demands of tomorrow’s justice landscape, adding that adaptive leaders responds to crisis by deploying flexible strategies leveraging innovation.

Prof Paul who is also the founder and President of Chartered Examiners of Criminology and Forensic Investigation, USA, lamented that from his studies of corruption index in Nigeria over the years, the country has not improved its corruption perception index in spite of the establishment of various anti corruption agencies, noting the Rwanda has continued to lead the least corrupt country in Africa.

His words:”In Africa, they create most agencies in the developing countries as an avenue to defraud the system but not to solve societal problems. Adaptive leaders responds to crisis by deploying flexible strategies leveraging Innovation.

“In Nigeria they are going around looking for money to borrow but are you sure that if that money is borrowed and the next year that he has can turn around to be profitable? if you borrow money and at the same time you don’t use that money for the purpose, you are enslaving the future of your generation.

“It is high time for inter disciplinary collaboration between law enforcement agencies, academicians, technical experts and law makers to ensure holistic approach to justice. There is no one way but it has to be seen from a holistic approach before you come to a conclusion.

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was created for a purpose in Nigeria and almost all African countries have also created same but only few have develop the agency to standard. That is the problem we have. The question is can a country survive when everyone is doing the wrong thing ? But not everyone is bad.

“Like for instance look at what happens in Nigeria like the thing that is going on, the police cannot do it all by themselves , they have to work as a team with other agencies . When one agencies cannot work with other agencies, that is not supposed to be the case, we should be centered. Like in the UK we talk about collaborative justice, managing trans-national crimes.

“Nigeria is combating terrorism and the military is leading operations, you see that the military is highly evolved but one challenge that they have is weak institutionalized framework and corruption in public trust agencies, when corruption erodes everything it will make you seems as if you are not working.

“Rwanda under President Kagame is doing a great job , history is going to remember you when you act as a leader with strong political will with zero tolerance approach if not nothing works . We see that Rwanda President has demonstrated unwavering political will in fighting crime that is central to Rwanda’s transformation .

“According to Transparency International 2022, Rwanda ranks among the least corrupt countries in Africa showing consistent improvement in its corruption perception index

“I have studied Nigeria corruption index for many years , it is going down even the more. With all the agencies they have created corruption is still not going down. We need to understand that with what is going on we need reformation . If you are doing something and its not working you have to look for further remedy.From my own findings, I think it is better to prevent the crime than fighting the crime.”

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, NDU, Bayelsa State, Prof Allen Agih, said the conference is an annual event organized by the Niger Delta University in collaboration with the Strategic Alliance Organization in USA as an advocacy and a training against fraud and corruption.

Prof Agih, who was represented by Prof Gbalamu Eze, said : “We have been on this for the past 14 years or so.Annually, we organize this program to sensitize the participants, law enforcement agencies and other members of the public and including those in academia, the need for us to collaborate with governments to fight against corruption, both in the public and in the private, that is the whole essence of the program.

“The key takeaways from this year’s conference is that crime is increasing in dimensions and in volumes and that there is need for change in strategies from the leadership to the followership that, crime has taken new dimensions and so the traditional ways of investigations are no longer working , we need to deploy technology in fighting crimes, we need to bring about various reforms even in the justice system because overtime the justice system is no longer adequate enough to take care in dispensing justice.”