3 days Ago By Onozure Dania
The Centre for Socio-Legal Studies has urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s criminal justice sector to adopt the National Minimum Standards to effectively implement the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and Administration of Criminal Justice Laws, to aid speedy justice. The NMS, developed through collaboration between Ministries of Justice, civil society organisations, and development partners, aims to streamline and improve justice delivery across federal and state levels. The document outlines critical benchmarks for effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
At a two-day capacity-building workshop on the NMS, on Tuesday, the President, of CSLS, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), stressed the need for a unified approach to justice reform. Giving his remarks, virtually, Akinseye-George stressed that the document coalesced the key elements of the ACJA and ACJLs into a single framework, which is now adopted by the Attorneys-General, Solicitors-General, and Permanent Secretaries nationwide. “The National Minimum Standards have become a vital tool for evaluating the effectiveness of justice delivery.
Delta State currently leads in implementing ACJ legislation, while Ebonyi and Zamfara are at the bottom,” he disclosed. He disclosed that a national scorecard would soon be published to rank states on their implementation of ACJ laws. “The courts, including the apex court, have strictly enforced Section 306 of the ACJA, curbing the abuse of stay of proceedings through interlocutory appeals.
This has significantly improved the recovery of stolen assets and expedited trials,” he added. Stakeholders at the workshop were charged to key into the NMS, as they noted that the struggle to attain justice delivery will be aspirational in the face of challenges of inadequate investigations, weak prosecution efforts, delayed case resolution, court backlogs, and overcrowding in correctional facilities. A CSLS programme officer and facilitator, Mr Kelvin Mejulu, at the training, emphasised the importance of adherence to the NMS.
Mejulu also urged judicial heads to issue practice directions to address gaps in areas like bail management and trial delays. “Every state’s criminal justice laws should meet the benchmark outlined in the National Minimum Standards document,” Mejulu “States may go beyond the standard, but they must not fall below it. For instance, some states have already introduced regulations for licensing bond persons.
We are also advocating practice directions for trial-within-trial procedures to minimise delays.” On the expanded scope, Mejulu said, “For example, Section 106 of the ACJL abolishes interlocutory injunctions that delay proceedings. Yet, some states still allow these delays due to gaps in their laws.
This document mandates states to amend such provisions to meet the national standard.” Related News Stakeholders push for property tax to address housing deficit Stakeholders make case for FRSC armed squad Business owners must innovate to succeed – Stakeholders “We cannot shy away from the fact that in some states, bail conditions are overly discretionary,” Mejulu said. “It’s not uncommon to see individuals languishing in detention because they couldn’t find someone to stand bail within a short distance of the court premises.
This must change.” Mejulu noted that another major component of the document is the establishment of criminal justice monitoring committees, referred to in some states as advisory councils. These bodies, he said, are tasked with ensuring oversight and coordination among stakeholders.
“Every state must have a functional coordinating committee to oversee the implementation of criminal justice laws,” Mejulu emphasised. “This is a non-negotiable element of the national standards.” “Our goal is to ensure that these standards are not just discussed here but implemented nationwide.
“Nigeria operates a federal system. But there must be a minimum standard that every state adheres to. A suspect in Lagos should expect the same fair treatment as a suspect in Kaduna or Benue,” Mejulu said.
Coordinator for the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme, Mrs Atinuke Ijimakinwa tasked the attendees at the training to replicate the message at their various levels. Director of the Community Service Unit at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Tomi Bodude, acknowledged innovations in the use of NMS in case management across pre-trial, trial, and post-trial stages. Bodude stressed the importance of adopting these standards to address systemic issues like case backlogs and overcrowded correctional facilities.
Additionally, she said that the standards call for digitising court systems and streamlining case management to ensure timely justice. “Case management is crucial. Courts must adopt practices that ensure trials are conducted efficiently and without unnecessary delays,” Bodude said.
The workshop brought together representatives from the Lagos State judiciary; Nigerian Correctional Services; police and civil society organisations. Magistrates who were at the event included Chief Mrs Bolanle Osunsanmi and participants from the Office of the Public Defender..
