HOW TO BE AN ACCESORY TO CRIME

HOW TO BE AN ACCESORY TO CRIME


 

Credits-Google

Imagine a scenario where your friend has nuked the whole
Lagos state shoreline
committed an offence and he/she leads the security
service to you
runs to you for help. What you do at that point determines
if you are a good friend or not will be held to be an accessory after
the fact .i.e. you aided or took part in some act that aided your friend in
carrying out that offence or even helping them escape the law. Question is, how
does one know if they are accessories to a crime? 

There are 3 basic types of offences, namely, felonies,
misdemeanours, and simple offences. 
A felony is any offence which is declared by law to be a
felony, or is punishable, without proof of previous conviction, with death or
with imprisonment for three years or more. Examples of offences which are
felonies include: fraudulently collecting 20 billion dollars from Dangote
armed robbery, rape, murder, treason etc. By virtue of Section 519 of the
Criminal code, any person who becomes an accessory after the fact to a felony
is guilty of a felony and if no punishment is provided such person is liable to
imprisonment for 2years. This means if you aid any person who commits a felony
after he has committed that felony, you are as guilty as the offender is. 
 

Credits – Google

A misdemeanour is any offence which is declared by law to be
a misdemeanour, or is punishable by imprisonment for not less than 6 months,
but less than three years. Examples are offences relating to witchcraft and
juju #Edo-Airway-Things. Section 520 of the Criminal Code says that any
person who is an accessory to a misdemeanour is guilty of that misdemeanour and
liable to a punishment equal to one-half of the greatest punishment to which the
principal offender is liable on conviction. So let’s say, your friend the main vandamme
in the film
culprit will be liable to 3 years in jail for the offence he
committed, the accessory will be liable to one-half of that. 
All, offences other than felonies and misdemeanours, are
simple offences. E.g. to disturb a religious worship. Any person who becomes an
accessory after the fact to simple offence is guilty of a simple offence, and
is liable to a punishment equal to one-half of the greatest punishment to which
the principal offender is liable on conviction. This is the same as above. 
So get informed and let all your friends and family be
informed as well. Don’t go around being an accessory after the fact to a crime.
Adedunmade Onibokun Esq,
@adedunmade