In 2021, I released a little collection of short stories with the title, “The Law is an Ass.”
On the day we presented the book, a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria, joked about the audacity of the title and the trouble I might have with judicial officers, consequently. We all laughed.
But he was right! Everywhere I go with the book since then, people are intrigued by the idea of the law being an ass. A lot of that fascination comes from misconceptions about the connotation of the word “ass” in the book’s context, though, but the title draws queries even from those who understand still wonder.
So, when people ask me, I explain that the expression refers to the rigid application of the letters of the law, devoid of emotions and sometimes, common sense!
Ass, in the circumstance, refers to the English colloquial name for a donkey, an animal with a reputation for unwavering obstinacy. The expression is believed to be much older than 1893, when…
