From the Editor Dear Colleagues, Terrorism in Africa The African continent is confronted by the issue of terrorism like never before, from Boko Haram in Nigeria to Al Shabaab to the East. The question for many jurists is how do we deal with this issue within the ambit of the rule of law. How do we maintain our decorum in the face of such provocation? How do we protect the right to due process, when citizens are baying for retribution and not duly concerned with the rule of law? The challenges facing African Governments cannot be underestimated. At a lecture given on the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 11, by the Attorney General of the Federation and Ministry of Justice of Nigeria, at the British Nigerian Law Forum in London in 2014, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN and the Attorney General of Nigeria detailed some of the challenges faced by the Nigerian government in dealing with the issues, including intimidation of judges, prosecutors and witnesses by Boko Haram or persons connected with the organisation, which has led to many trials either being abandoned or delayed incessantly. Understandably, many African States have rushed through their parliaments measures with draconian penal consequences designed to combat the threat of terrorism, however a balance must be struck between the needs to combat terrorism and the rule of law. On another note, the 3rd annual International Litigation and Asset Recovery Forum will be held on 5th November 2015, at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. This must-attend event for lawyers specialising in fraud litigation, debt recovery and insolvency litigation is sponsore by Stephenson Harwood LLP. Come and network with forensic accountants, insolvency practitioners, in-house lawyers, risk analysts and heads of financial crime departments from banks and other financial institutions and other recovery specialists.
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As an addition to the Forum, we are hosting a pre-conference} reception for our panellists and special guests on 4th November 2015 at Four Point Sheraton, Oniru, Ikoyi, Lagos. To find out more visit our event website at www.nglawdigestevents.com. For table bookings and sponsorship call our sales team on tel. +44 20 32230800 or email sales@nglawdigest.com To contribute articles or commentaries to the Law Digest, please write to me at editor@nglawdigest.com. Yours
Seyi Clement Publisher/Editor