1. Judges Are Humane: The average person is humane. Meaning that even if they are dealing with a criminal, they themselves don't want to be the taker of another person's fate. For example, if there's a crime that calls for the death penalty as a maximum punishment, it's even more difficult to convict somebody because the Judge would in essence have to personally kill that person. When you make the decision harder for the decision maker, they're less likely to make that hard decision. They will also unfortunately be more easily persuaded to subvert due process. When making the hard decision is extremely difficult or even traumatizing, it's easier to be open minded to excepting bribes or finding excuses to avoid due process. Judges aren't pulled from a batch of torturers and killers. It's therefore very difficult for them to make a decision that would condemn someone to torture (being sent to a Nigerian prison), or death because they're still humane.

2. Police are Humane: Despite our relatively low opinion of police in this country, they're still people. Again, like the judges, it's very difficult to 'do the needed' if the needed calls for you to step outside of your human nature. This point and many point orient to how difficult it is for individuals to reach the point of feeling someone should be tortured or murdered.

3. The Populace is Humane: Most Nigerians will attest to their politicians being thieves. Very few would want to see them get killed or feel that killing them is a just response to financial crime. Though many on the fringe believe that Nigeria should resort to a China style execution method for corrupt politicians, when it comes time to actually kill the person, the general populace will develop a weak stomach to the idea of taking someone's life over money. Even in China the system has proven to be a failure because it takes a lot to reach the point that you want another person dead. Therefore financial crime is often overlooked or swept under the rug and today China runs one of the world's most corrupt governments. The truth is that many of us have family members that would steal if they were in the position of these politicians. Many of use would do the exact same thing. So with this in mind, it's difficult to actually executed the initiative to kill someone that did something you or a love one would do as well.



When punishments are lighter, it's easier to follow the rule of law because it doesn't require individuals to step outside of their own humane nature to make the law possible. If someone steals and is sentenced to 2 years in prison for it, it's easier for someone to report theft when they see it. On the other side, if someone steals and is shot execution style for it, it's extremely difficult for you as a person to report that crime when you see it because indirectly you'll have the blood of that person on your hands.

Harsh punishments are even, in a way, very unafrican. We live in a close-knit society where relationships with others and community is important. We also by nature don't see people as individuals, but as extensions or parts of the respective communities they come from. While this way of thinking has it's faults it allows us Africans to see that before killing someone for committing a crime, we are on the verge of killing someone's brother, someone father, someone's husband, someone's son, a member of someone's community, and bringing grief to people that are only guilty of loving or being connected to a wayward individual. In more individualistic societies, people can report their own mother of committing a crime even if it means their mother will spend life in prison. In Africa we by nature of our culture will try to resolve it ourselves because we don't have the heart to hurt others in a permanent and drastic way. We can be petty, jealous, resentful, bicker constantly, and outright hateful, but it's very difficult for us to subject even our worst enemy to a legal system that isn't based on reconciliation, forgiveness and given others a second chance.

With all of these factors combine, inhumane punishment, that was introduced to us by a colonial system that didn't see us as human and thus the only way to 'deal' with 'animals' like ourselves was to beat or kill us, won't work in Africa and this is why the African legal system as it is doesn't work. This is why people fear police instead of collaborating with them. This is why crime is seldom if ever reported when it happens, and this is why we excuse a lot of wayward behavior. We need a legal system, prison system, and judicial system that's as humane as we are as a culture.

APC where is buharis corpse

The truth....one of the reason prisoners in nigeria come out from prison only to continue stealing is because our prison is where people get hardened nd worse criminals get more tough....government reallo needs to take a second look our prison systems

Taylor86:
APC where is buharis corpse

is he dead or something