ALL over the world, government has the primary duty of ensuring the security and welfare of its citizens and one of the ways of giving eloquent expression to this time-honoured responsibility is by maintaining an efficient, speedy justice administration system for prompt and fair dispensation of justice by the courts.
This is in tandem with global best practice and the aphorism that justice delay is justice denied.
Accordingly, every society that subscribes to democratic norms and values deliberately gives priority to fair and quick dispensation of justice devoid of avoidable delays and encumbrances.
In Nigeria, one area that needs speedy dispensation of justice more than ever before, revolves around cases of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping which today pose serious danger to lives and property of innocent citizens generally and the Northern axis of the country in particular. Hardly a day passes without gory cases of violent crimes manifesting in abduction, arson, mass murder, mayhem, rape just to mention a few perpetrated by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and Fulani herdsmen.
Churches, Mosques, markets, shopping malls, busy roads and passengers are more often than not, targets of the vampires who unleash reign of terror on the citizens with reckless abandon.
Apart from the fact that the fight against terrorism, kidnapping and their perpetrators seems unending, it is worrisome that not much has been done with regards to conclusively prosecuting terror and kidnap suspects, their sponsors, agents, servants or privies in our courts of competent jurisdiction.
More often than not, citizens only hear through the mass-media that insurgents have been decimated and that government would soon name and possibly prosecute the suspects, their sponsors and agents. Unfortunately, this appears to be a mere illusion as the waiting continues without bringing the criminal elements to face the wrath of the law.
In few cases, where suspects are said to be arrested by our gallant soldiers and other security agents, little or no further results is achieved as in no distant time, these enemies of the state are let off
the hook as repentant terrorists while the state and nominal victims of the reign of terror become helpless and robbed of justice.
This ugly narrative got to the acme during the administration of late former President Mohammadu Buhari as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces literarily see a fight against Boko Haram terrorists as a war against the North. It was therefore inconceivable  for Nigerians to expect that under the Buhari regime, terrorists could be brought to book whether promptly or via snail speed.
With President Bola Ahmed Tinubu now at the saddle, there is no doubt that Nigerians and indeed all subscribers to justice, equity and fair play globally, expect a paradigm shift from the hitherto lackadaisical approach to bringing terrorists to book characteristic of the Buhari regime.
Indeed, the recent invasion of the stronghold of the terrorists in Sokoto by American soldiers is a wake -up call on all relevant authorities, including the judiciary to treat the issue of terrorists and terrorism in Nigeria with precision, speed and the attention it deserves.
One way to achieve this is by fast-tracking the trials of suspected terrorists and the onus is on the police, other security agencies that carry out arrest, investigations and prosecution of suspects as well as the judiciary to do the needful.
Clearly, delay and improper investigation of suspects by the investigating authority encumber speedy and efficient justice delivery as poorly investigated cases not only slow down trials but more often than not let such suspects off the hook without charging them to court thereby robbing the society of the opportunity of establishing a prima-facie case in court let alone  speedy trial.
Legal practitioners should also resist the temptation of engaging in needless technicalities and frivolous applications for motions and adjournments aimed at delaying the administration of justice generally and the trial of terrorism suspects in particular.
Terrorism is a cankerworm that eats the fabric of a society hence it should tackled headlong within reasonable possible time.
Fast-tracking the trial of suspects generally and terrorism suspects in particular ensures that justice is not defeated by deliberate delay of trial as justice delayed is not only justice denied but justice destroyed.
