The African continent is confronted by the issue of terrorism like never before, from Boko Haram in Nigeria to Al Shabaab to the East. The question for many jurists is how do we deal with this issue within the ambit of the rule of law. How do we maintain our decorum in the face of such provocation? How do we protect the right to due process, when citizens are baying for retribution and not duly concerned with the rule of law? The challenges facing African Governments cannot be underestimated. At a lecture given on the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 11, by the Attorney General of the Federation and Ministry of Justice of Nigeria, at the British Nigerian Law Forum in London in 2014, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN and the Attorney General of Nigeria detailed some of the challenges faced by the Nigerian government in dealing with the issues, including intimidation of judges, prosecutors and witnesses by Boko Haram or persons connected with the organisation, which has led to many trials either being abandoned or delayed incessantly.
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