Prof. Joy Ezeilo, a member of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, has voiced deep concern about the alarming levels of hunger and extreme poverty pushing many impoverished Nigerians into criminal activities. In response to the recent looting of an Abuja warehouse reportedly belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency, Ezeilo, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a Law Professor at the University of Nigeria, emphasized that economic hardship should not be an excuse for criminal behavior.<\/p>\n
The incident in the Federal Capital Territory, where residents reportedly looted the warehouse, serves as a grim reminder of the dire economic conditions faced by many Nigerians. Ezeilo acknowledged the severe hunger and poverty that can drive individuals to criminal acts, citing a case from 1994 where she defended a 17-year-old orphan girl sentenced to prison for stealing cassava from a farm due to extreme hunger. Despite the girl’s desperate circumstances, Ezeilo stressed that stealing remains a crime, and individuals caught in such acts will be held accountable according to penal laws.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the 1994 case, Ezeilo highlighted the need for a nuanced approach in dealing with cases involving extreme poverty and criminal activities. As the founder and Director of Women Aid Collective, a non-governmental organization advocating for the human rights of women and young people in Nigeria, she called on the government at all levels to collaborate with non-profit organizations and the private sector. Ezeilo proposed the implementation of food banks, food stamps, and other social security measures to provide sustenance for the poor and vulnerable populations across the country.<\/p>\n
In her statement, Ezeilo emphasized the importance of considering alternative options, especially for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable in times of economic hardship. While acknowledging the limited choices faced by the poor, she underscored that stealing and resorting to criminal activities should not be seen as viable options.<\/p>\n
As Nigeria grapples with economic challenges, Ezeilo’s call for a collaborative effort between the government, non-profit organizations, and the private sector to establish social safety nets aligns with the broader goal of addressing the root causes of criminal behavior driven by poverty and hunger. Her plea serves as a reminder that sustainable solutions are essential to uplift the most vulnerable segments of society and foster a more equitable and just society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prof. Joy Ezeilo, a member of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, has voiced deep concern about the alarming levels of hunger and extreme poverty pushing many impoverished Nigerians into criminal activities. In response to the recent looting of an Abuja warehouse reportedly belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency, Ezeilo, who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":21634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21632"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21650,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21632\/revisions\/21650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}