- Delta tops list of states with efficient system
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Chief Judge of the HIgh Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf and the the Inspector General of Police IGP), Kayode Egbetokun have pledged their commitment to ensuring continuous reform of the nation’s criminal justice system.
This, they said, would be achieved through enhanced deployment of the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and similar laws enacted by the various states.
They said if the provisions of the ACJA and those of the states were religiously applied, the current challenges plaguing the criminal justice system would be effectively addressed, resulting in enhanced access to justice and elimination of delay.
They spoke in Abuja at the “joint convocation of the federal and states’ Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committees (ACJMCs) on the review of the implementation of the ACJA.”
The event was organised by the Center for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMJ) and the federal ACJMC, with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
Fagbemi, who was represented by one of his aides, Wada Ahmed, commended members of the ACJMCs for commitment to ensuring a reformed criminal justice system that serves to the benefit of all.
The AGF hailed the states that have done well in the implementation of the provisions of ACJA and states’ versions, and urged others to emulated them.
Justice Yusuf, who called for collaboration among stakeholders, noted that the mission is to ensure that the principles of fairness, efficiency, and accountability become visible realities within our legal framework.
He added: “Therefore, let us work together to ensure that our legal system embodies both the letter and spirit of justice.
“The Administration of Criminal Justice Act and Laws offer us robust frameworks to enhance the efficiency and fairness of our legal processes. However, successful implementation demands ongoing collaboration, innovation and vigilance.
“It is incumbent upon us to tackle systemic challenges such as backlogs of cases, procedural delays, and the protection of human nights wit renewed vigor and strategic action,” Justice Yusuf said.
The IGP, who was represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Daniel Habila said “the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is committed to upholding the principles of justice, fairness and equality.
“We recognise the importance of collaboration and partnership with stakeholders, like the ACJMC s, to achieve our common goal of ensuring a safer and more just society.”
The President of the CSLS, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) regretted that the successes recorded with the introduction of the that ACJA were being hampered by issues of delays, absence of pre-trial case management and congestion in custodial facilities have remained a challenge.
He called for enhanced deployment of technology and the adoption of a pre-trial case management system to address the issue of delays, adding that before a criminal case is filed in any court, the prosecution must ensure that it is fully ready to proceed with the case.
He tasked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the AGF to set a deadline for all courts to be digitalize, “so that we can have e-filing, e-assignment of cases, e-recording of courts so that judges no longer have to write and write until their hands develop serious ailments.”
The Executive Secretary of the ACJMC, Evbu Igbinedion attributed the challenges in the nation’s criminal justice system partly to inadequate funding.
She stressed the need for improved collaboration among stakeholders in the criminal justice system to ensure efficiency of the criminal justice process.
Delta State was named, at the event, as the number one state with the most effective criminal justice system with a score of 90.9% in the Baseline Assessment Report (BAR) on the level of implementation of the ACJA/ ACJL,
Rivers State came second with 85% while Nasarawa State scored 82% to emerge third.
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The parameters used in assessing the states included the level of deployment of technology such as e-recording, e-filing, e-assignment of cases, automated court proceedings and case tracking/ management system.
Also considered were the existence of functional statement taking room, compliance with remand proceedings, existence of criminal register, abolition of lay prosecution, availability of legal aid, remittance of quarterly report of persons awaiting trial to the Attorney-General, witness protection and support, among others.
The report however, recommended the phasing out of lay prosecution by ensuring that only legally trained persons handle criminal cases.
It also suggested the need to strengthen stakeholders’ coordination and integration of technology was also highlighted, including the need for functional date management and collation.
