President Bola Tinubu has asked the senate to consider and pass a bill seeking to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, and re-enact it as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, to address challenges affecting the effective administration of criminal justice in the country.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s
letter during plenary on Thursday.
According to Tinubu, the proposed legislation seeks to
provide a legal framework for the administration of criminal justice in the
courts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts across
the country.
He said the bill also provides for the establishment of an
Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to improve compliance
with the law and enhance its implementation nationwide.
“The general objective of the bill is to repeal the
Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and to enact the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act 2026 to provide for the administration of criminal justice
in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory and other Federal courts in
Nigeria and establish an Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council
for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria,” the
letter reads.
Tinubu said the proposed legislation is intended to promote
the efficient management of criminal justice institutions, ensure speedy
dispensation of justice, protect society from crime and safeguard the rights
and interests of suspects, defendants and victims.
He added that the bill would also ensure that courts, law
enforcement agencies and other authorities involved in criminal justice
administration comply with the provisions of the act.
The president said the decision to repeal and re-enact the
2015 law was informed by legal, procedural and institutional challenges that
had hindered its effective implementation.
According to him, the challenges include delays in criminal
investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal
proceedings, poor coordination among criminal justice institutions, inefficient
case management mechanisms and weak monitoring of compliance with the act.
“The bill, as reviewed by a team of law officers with
extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, and legislative
drafting, have extensively addressed the above challenges,” he said.
“The bill also reflects developments in criminal justice
administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations, and
international best practices relating to criminal justice reform.
“It has strengthened the administration of criminal justice,
monitoring council, and provides additional measures aimed at effective
implementation of the Act by relevant institutions.”
Tinubu urged the senate to give the bill expeditious
consideration.
“In the light of the above, it is my hope that the Senate
would consider the bill for an Act to repeal the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act 2015 and to re-enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act
2026 expeditiously,” he added.
Akpabio referred the bill to the senate committee on rules
and business and directed the committee to report back to the chamber within
four weeks.
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