A Professor of Law at Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), Hagler Okorie, has recommended life imprisonment for convicted corrupt public officials in Nigeria.
Okorie made the call while delivering the 79th inaugural lecture of the university, themed “Legal Intersection Between Armed Conflict, Other Situations of Violence (OSVs) and Mercantilism in Nigeria: The Need To Make Corruption A Crime Against Humanity.” He argued that Nigeria cannot progress if corruption persists, warning that unless a special court is established to try and prosecute corrupt officials within a month, the country risks collapse.
Defining corruption as “the impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle” and quoting the World Bank’s description as “the abuse of public office for private gains,” Okorie noted that it extends beyond bribery to nepotism, theft of state assets, and diversion of public revenues.
He maintained that corruption has weakened governance since independence and fuels conflicts, describing armed conflict and violence in Nigeria as a “money-minting factory” for politicians, military officers, insurgents, and bandits.
Okorie further proposed expanding the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to classify corruption as a crime against humanity, stressing that treating it merely as an economic or administrative offence is inadequate.
The Vice Chancellor of ABSU, Prof. Ndukwe Okeudo, who presided over the lecture, commended Okorie for addressing insecurity and corruption, which he described as central challenges facing the country.
