From the series of questions that I get asked on social media which mostly pertain to criminal defense, police brutality etc on average Nigerians, I have collated seven legal tips that everyone might find very helpful.
1 “Do not ever confess or plead guilty to a crime you are being accused of, even if you are caught red-handed; deny it completely or say no comment unless your lawyer advises otherwise”.
2 You Need a Lawyer More Than a Doctor.
“You are entitled to a lawyer, if you cannot afford one, it is the responsibility of the government to provide you a lawyer free of charge”.
(This is called the right to an attorney and it is a fundamental right).
3 “It is never your obligation to prove that you are innocent or that you did not commit the crime you are being accused of or charged with rather it is the legal obligation of your accusers or prosecutors to prove that you did commit the crime they are accusing you of”.
(This is the legal principle of “Affirmanti Non Neganti Incumbit Probatio which means he who alleges must prove”),
4 “No matter the gravity of the crime you are being accused of or charged with, you are still innocent and will always remain an innocent man unless a court of competent jurisdiction finds you guilty”
(This is called the principle of presumption of innocence).
5 “If you ever get arrested for any crime, it is your right not to say anything or write a statement, especially without your lawyer being present”.
(This is called the right to silence or called pleading the fifth in some other jurisdictions). This right is not just available to you, not just in police stations, it is as well available to you even in courtrooms.
6. Stop and Search have been criminalized
“Policemen are no longer permitted to carry out roadblocks or stop and search in Nigeria, any policeman doing that is doing an unsanctioned and illegal job and should be reported for appropriate disciplinary action”.
Insurance Coverage For Nigerians
For a country with a high cost of living like Nigeria and a high level of “anyhowness”, insurance should be a big deal and a top priority for everyone living in Nigeria but surprisingly, most people do not even know or have substantial knowledge about what is insurance not to talk of signing up for an insurance policy.
Nigerians will be driving an expensive vehicle that is worth large sums of millions without insurance cover; if the vehicle gets damaged or stolen they will have to bear the total cost of fixing the damage or replacing the car alone instead of an insurance company taking care of that.
Same with houses. A house that is worth hundreds of millions of naira will be mounted or erected without no insurance cover but with only “the God forbid syndrome” or the faith that nothing bad will happen to the property.
What then is Insurance and why it is so important for everyone?
Insurance simply put is a contract or an agreement represented by a policy, in which a policyholder receives financial protection, compensation or reimbursement against losses from an insurance company if what was insured against happens. The insurance company and the pool of clients bear these risks to make payments more affordable for the insured.
There are different classes of insurance one can get insured against; there is home or house insurance which is a policy that covers a house, there is homeowner’s insurance which is insured against home valuables, there is automobile or vehicle insurance, there is health insurance, there is 3rd party insurance, there is travel insurance, there is even mobile phone or gadget insurance.
Anything can be insured against. There is no limit as to what you can get insurance coverage on, the more a property is of value to you the more it is necessary to get insurance on that property no matter how insignificant that property may appear. You insure your everyday property which stands a risk of getting damaged, burgled or stolen. Once this property is insured, if the worst happens, you will stand the chance of either getting full reimbursement or replacement or compensation for the property or getting a fragment of the reimbursement or compensation for the property.
Life is just so uncertain and unpredictable to be living it carelessly or using expensive or valuable properties without insurance coverage. Nobody prays for bad things to happen, we can always “God forbid it” but it is better to be prepared for the worst and it ends up not happening than not to be unready or unprepared for it when it happens.
