By IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

ABUJA — The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, has okayed a new practice direction that will fast track trial of offences involving terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering and human trafficking.

The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr Sunday Olorundahunsi, who made the disclosure while addressing newsmen at a workshop on the ‘Role of the media in the fight against terrorism’, said the CJN has already intimated heads of various courts in Nigeria about the new practice direction.

According to Olorundahunsi, the new model will ensure that terrorism related cases and appeals are heard and dispensed with in matter of weeks.

He said the new practice direction for the Supreme Court has already been signed into law and gazetted, stressing that “the judiciary is not only in the position to protect our democracy from terrorism but must also not fail to protect democracy from the means that the state wants to use to fight terrorism.”

Meantime, in his address at the workshop, the Director General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr  Ekpenyong Ita, said the media must collaborate with security agencies in the fight against terrorism.

Ita, who was represented by Mr Cliff Osagie, said the media remained key stakeholders in the fight against terrorism.

He, however, implored journalists to exercise due diligence and responsibility while reporting terrorism related issues, saying journalists must adhere strictly to their code of ethics in handling sensitive state matters even as he called on them to be more patriotic in reporting national issues.

He said the SSS would continue to do its best to make the country safer for Nigerians.

In his speech, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr Chidi Odinkalu lamented that the nation had become tolerant to mass atrocities and violence.

He noted that no one had been prosecuted for the killing of hundreds of security agents in Nasarawa State during the Ombatse crisis.

He said: “That must change. People must be held responsible for their actions. No one who killed our security agents should be allowed to go scot free.”