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