An appraisal of the legal framework for combating terrorism in nigeria

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p>INTRODUCTION</p><p>1.1. Background to the Study On Tuesday 11 September, 2001, four commercial planes were hijacked by terrorists. One hijacked passenger Jet leaving Boston, Massachusetts crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Centre at 8:45am setting the tower on fire. Eighteen minutes later, a second hijacked airline, United Airlines Flight 173 from Boston, crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Centre and exploded: Both airlines caused massive structural damage to the towers. Later that morning both the north and south towers collapsed, plummeting into the streets below. At 9:43am, a third hijacked airliner (American Airlines Flight 93) crashed in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, south east of Pittsburgh1.The crashing of these hijacked airliners into buildings and on land was the worst terrorists attack in the history of the United States. This led to the loss of nearly 3000 innocent lives and damaged property running into billions of dollars. The terrorist attacks not only served as a chilling reminder of the dangers inherent in international terrorism but also sent shock waves all around the world. The attacks were unequivocally condemned by States and by international organizations. On 12 September 2001, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the heinous acts which had resulted in loss of lives and collateral destruction2. While showing solidarity with the people of the United States, the United Nations called for international cooperation to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of the crimes committed on 11 September 2001. OnSeptember 12, 2001, the United Nations Security Council also condemned the terrorist acts expressing them as a threat to international peace and security. The Council called upon all States to work together urgently to bring to justice the perpetrators of the crime, organizers and sponsors of the terrorist attacks.Further, Resolution 1373 was adopted on 28 September 2001. Under the Resolution, the Security Council required States to adopt and implement the existing international legal instruments on terrorism, and to prevent and suppress the financing and the freezing of funds and financial matters.</p> <br><p></p>