- By Caleb Okechukwu,
A Professor of Law at Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, Hagley Okorie, has urged the Federal Government to amend Nigeria’s criminal code, penal code, and anti-corruption laws to classify large-scale corruption as a crime against humanity, punishable by life imprisonment.
Delivering the institution’s 79th Inaugural Lecture entitled: “Legal Intersection between Armed Conflict, Other Situations of Violence (OSVs) and Mercantilism in Nigeria: The Need to Make Corruption a Crime Against Humanity”, Okorie argued that corruption should no longer be treated as a mere economic or administrative offence. According to him, the menace fuels armed groups, compromises peace processes, and has assumed the dimension of a systematic attack on human dignity. “Recognising corruption as a crime against humanity within both domestic and international legal frameworks would close the accountability gap, deter complicit elites, and strengthen our collective resolve to promote peace and justice,” he said.
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Professor Okorie further called for the creation of a special court to try and convict corrupt public officials within one month, warning that failure to tackle corruption decisively could ultimately ruin the nation.
Declaring the lecture open, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Ndukwe Okeudo, described the lecture as “timely and thought-provoking” given the rising cases of corruption across the country. He hailed Okorie for proposing concrete solutions and also applauded the Visitor to the University and Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, for prioritising staff welfare and spearheading ongoing infrastructural development in the institution.
Chairperson of the Senate Ceremonials Committee, Prof. Jemima Ngozi Ogwo, lauded the lecturer for what she described as a powerful and engaging presentation.