The Nigerian government has expressed commitment to the effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act for the good of the country.
When fully implemented, criminal matters will be speedily dealt with for a sustainable decongestion of correctional centres across Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami revealed this in Abuja while declaring open, a two-day workshop on the Implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA for Police Prosecutors in the North Central zone of the Country.
According to Malami, the capacity building for Police prosecutors is aimed at improving pre-trial justice, conducting effective investigations and ensuring arrests and search protocols are followed under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
The Attorney General represented by the Director of Public Prosecution Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Baba-Doko said, the act will also ensure settlement agreements and plea-bargaining guidance for Police, Remand Protocols and detention time limit and ensure provisions of statement taking and admissibility of recording of the confessional statement.
According to Malami, the essential elements of the ACJA 2015 remained the abolition of stay of proceedings, effective case management by trial courts, witness protection, and sentencing guidelines among others.
The recent criminal justice bill passed by the senate according to the AGF has added some innovations such as the establishment of a sex offender registry in the federal capital Territory.
He explained further that upon conviction of a sex offender, the offender’s particulars shall be entered into the sex offender register.
The Justice Minister added that other innovations in the bill just passed by Senate include, the abolition of trial within trial which delayed criminal proceedings, filing of witness deposition to promote speedy trial and among others innovations that when passed would help enhance criminal justice in Nigeria.
Also, Nigeria’s Police Boss represented by the retired Commissioner of police in charge of the legal department, David Igbodo said, the police is committed to ensuring the effective dispensation of justice in Nigeria.
The IGP while expressing commitments to ensuring the reformation of the criminal justice sector said the police are determined towards achieving the implementation of the process.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee Mr Biodun Aikomo disclosed that ACJA has dealt with a lot of identified challenges in the Justice sector, reminding the police prosecutors of their critical role in the Act.
The Executive Secretary National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr Tony Ojukwu and the Director General of the Legal Aid Council, who were represented at the workshop promised to assist with the necessary skills and knowledge aimed at promoting the rule of law.
