Whenever the topic of justice and punishment comes up, I find myself standing somewhere between opinions.
After all, every criminal knows there are consequences. A thief knows stealing is against the law. A fraudster knows prison awaits if they are caught. A corrupt politician knows that embezzling public funds is a crime. Yet these things continue to happen every day.
If punishment alone worked, crime would have disappeared long ago. But then, if punishment did not matter at all, why do many people avoid crime despite having opportunities to commit it?
The answer, I think, lies in certainty.
Human beings are strange creatures. We often gamble when we believe the odds are in our favour. Imagine a road where there is a sign that says, "Speeding attracts a fine of one million naira."
That sounds terrifying, but if drivers know there is almost no chance of getting caught, many will still speed.
Now imagine another road where the fine is only ten thousand naira, but cameras monitor every metre and offenders are punished without exception. Most people would slow down. The certainty of punishment often matters more than the severity of it.
That said, there are crimes that leave me deeply troubled. Corruption is probably top on the list.
Whenever I see hospitals without equipment, schools with leaking roofs, roads that become death traps after a few months, I cannot help but wonder where the allocated funds went.
Somewhere, someone signed papers. Somewhere, someone approved payments. Somewhere, someone became richer while ordinary citizens paid the price.
In my opinion, leaders found guilty of corruption should face swift and uncompromising justice because public office is a sacred trust. When someone steals public funds, they are not simply stealing money. They are stealing opportunities, healthcare, education and sometimes even lives.
Likewise, I feel strongly about violent criminals who terrorize communities.
In a country where banditry has caused so much suffering, entire villages have lived in fear. Families have been displaced. Children have lost parents. Parents have lost children.
The pain is difficult to describe. My anger sometimes tempts me to wish for punishments so severe that no one would ever dare commit such crimes again.
It's too gore for me to describe here.
But when I calm down, I remind myself that justice must remain justice. A society ruled by anger eventually becomes as dangerous as the criminals it seeks to punish.
What I truly want is not cruelty. What I want is accountability. I want corrupt leaders to know they cannot hide behind power because in my country they really do hide behind power.
Last week, I heard someone embezzled Trillions and guess what the Senate dismissed his arrest, you have no idea how pained I was. Yet a Cyber criminal will be prosecuted and thrown in jail, I'm not saying that's not how it's supposed to be but Justice should be justice irrespective of who is involved.
I also want violent criminals to know they will be arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced according to the law. I want justice to be swift, fair, and certain. Because perhaps that is where the real power of punishment lies.
Not in how horrifying it is. Not in how loudly it is announced. But in the simple fact that everyone knows it will happen. When people believe consequences are unavoidable, many think twice before crossing the line.
And if enough people think twice, perhaps we can build a society where fewer crimes are committed in the first place. That, to me, is the kind of punishment that truly works.
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