The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Akali Baba, have reiterated their commitments to the effective implementation of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in Nigeria.
They made the assertion at a two-day workshop on implementation of Administration of Criminal Justices Act (ACJA) 2015 for Police In North Central Zone held in Abuja.
The AGF said the Federal Ministry of Justice, as a leading stakeholder in the administration of justice, will continue to support stakeholders to ensure that reformation of the justice sector aligns with the international best practices.
According to Malami, the essential elements of ACJA 2015 remained the abolition of stay of proceedings, effective case management by trial courts, witness protection and sentencing guidelines, among others.
Malami stated that the recent criminal justice bill passed by the senate has added some new innovations such as, the establishment of a sex offender registry in the Federal Capital Territory. He explained that upon conviction of a sex offender, the offender’s particulars shall be entered into the sex offender register.
The Justice Minister stated that other innovations in bill just passed by Senate include, abolition of trial within trial, which delayed criminal proceedings, filing of witness’ deposition to promote speedy trial and among others innovation that when passed would help enhance criminal justice in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the IGP, represented by the Commissioner of Police in Charge of the Legal Department, David Igbodo (rtd), said the police is very much committed to ensuring the effective dispensation of justice.
The IGP, while expressing commitments and dedication to ensuring the reformation of the criminal justices sector, reiterated the zeal of the police towards achieving the implementation of the process.
The workshop was aimed at “improving pre-trail justice under the ACJA, 2015; the role of the Police; conducting effective investigation; police powers and rights of suspect under the Nigerian criminal justice system; arrest and search protocols under the ACJA 2015 Act and the Police Act; Settlement Agreements and Plea-bargaining-guidance for the Police; Remand Protocols and detention time limit under the ACJA, 2015, among others.”
