More Notes To Mr Dogma, The Barrister- At-Law!

You and I know that all this blind adherence to normal protocols are waived in cases of national security when the secret services are called in...leading me to cite examples of the FBI. The supposed rights of a few thieves cannot override the collective security of an entire nation.

In my earlier comments, I talked about the precedence that the spirit of a law has over its letters, the intendments of legal draftsmen and lawmakers...and the preeminence of equity over common law. Nigeria is in dire straits! Laws are made for men and not men for laws! States may even elect to try sensitive cases in camera for reasons of state security.

States may revert to means that ordinarily would be perceived as clandestine or even "dishonorable" in the eyes of mere mortals and dogmatic lawyers! States may use means that they would readily deny in public...like sinking "enemy" submarines in peace time! Julian Asange may have done something noble with WikiLeaks but is being mercilessly hounded by the US through the FBI and the CIA!

The hallmark of law practice is not to snoop and preen for loopholes via which criminals may be assisted to escape justice. Neither is it for very senior members of the bar to stall and frustrate court processes through spurious injunctions, waivers, adjournments and other applications in collusion with bribe- collecting judges!

The severe hunger in the land is due to our corrupted psyche and values... but some individuals are expected to be exemplary by being exceptions to societal rot, however compelling and putrefying ... chief of which are Supreme Court Judges!

Dr Tosin Akindele is a medical practitioner and public affairs analyst.