CSLS urges National Assembly to give ACJA amendment bill speedy passage

The Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) on Tuesday called for a speedy passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act Amendment Bill.

The President of CSLS, Yemi Akinseye-George, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), made the call during the closing ceremony of the centre’s summit on improving the nation’s criminal justice administration through the National Minimum Standards (NMS) project.

Mr Akinseye-George said CSLS, which played pivotal roles in the conception and the subsequent enactment of the Act in 2015, worked with the Federal Ministry of Justice and other stakeholders to conclude the final draft of the ACJA Amendment Bill.

“It is now an Executive Bill, sponsored by the President through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation,” said Mr Akinseye-George, a professor of law.

Mr Akinseye-George, whose CSLS, has championed an amendment of the Act in recent years to address the gaps discovered in the law after decade of putting the law into use, urged the National Assembly to give the ACJA Amendment Bill “speedy and thorough consideration.”

He also urged “states and institutions to keep applying the National Minimum Standards,” and vowed support for “evidence-based reform in the sector.”

The ACJA 2015 governs criminal proceedings in federal courts and criminal justice administration regarding federal offences. Most states have since domesticated versions of the laws in their domains.

However, Mr Akinseye said the Act needed amendment, which informed part of the NMS project.

The NMS project was implemented under the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, funded by the European Union and supported by International IDEA.

The project aims close the gap between what Nigeria’s criminal justice laws promise and what happens in practice.

It also sees to the efficient implementation of the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in federal courts and the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws (ACJLs) of various states of the federation.

Importance of the NMS

According to Mr Akinseye-George, the NMS “gives the ACJA and related laws a clear, measurable yardstick for the police, courts, prosecutors, legal aid providers and correctional services.”

The NMS is a document compiled so that no state would fall below in the implementation of the ACJA, and for the purpose of uniformity across all states.

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Some NMS project focus on pre-trial issues, dealing with interlocutory proceedings, use of remands, confessional statements, front loading, case management and plea-bargaining.

The CSLS implemented the project in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and seven focal states – Lagos, Kano, Edo, Anambra, Abia, Plateau, and Adamawa.

Through the project, the CSLS equipped judges, magistrates, lawyers, police, and civil society.

It also trained over 700 rangers and engaged 1,700 relevant stakeholders. In April, the centre organised a capacity-building training for 100 rangers. The training equipped the rangers to champion the reform of the Nigerian criminal justice system.

Rangers are those who volunteer to support and to speak in favour of the proper implementation of the ACJA.

The centre also paid inspection visits to courts, correctional centres, ministries of justice, police commands, the Legal Aid Council and the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committees (ACJMCs). Through the visits, gaps were identified which were reflected in the Bill. Also, 1000 copies of the NMS documents were produced.

Mr Akinseye-George applauded the European Union for funding. Similarly, he commended the International IDEA, the Federal Ministry of Justice and other criminal justice institutions and the media for their partnership and support.