FG Partners Rivers to Strengthen the Administration of Criminal Justice System

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Federal Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC), has said it was partnering the Rivers State government in strengthening administration of criminal justice system in Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of ACJMC, Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, Mr. Sulayman Dawodu,made the assertion yesterday, at a quarterly meeting and workshop organised by the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Counsel, held in Port Harcourt.

Dawodu disclosed that they were at the workshop, to synergies with the state for speedy implementation of the administration of criminal justice law of Rivers State, being one of the states in the country that had gazetted and implementing the law as passed.

He commended Governor Nyesom Wike, for ensuring the implementation of the criminal justice law, while urging other states that were yet to support the administration of Criminal Justice system to do so.

“We are here in Rivers to synergies with our Rivers counterpart and to share experience, knowledge, help them get up to speed in the implementation of the administration of criminal justice law of Rivers State.

“If you benchmark everyone that has been implementing the law, you have to commend the Rivers State for what they have done. About four states have not passed their law out of 36 states. Some that have passed have not gazetted it; some have gazetted but have not started implementation of any of the provisions in terms of what it should be doing.

“So, when we see states that have taken a huge step, we had to commend it which is why I said Rivers State has set up committee, which they call council. I think out of 36 states, only 17 states have done that. Also, they have set up a secretariat and only about 12 states have set up Secretariat and some of them are just on temporary.

“Going forward, we are creating partnerships which is what we did when we did annual conference in Abuja. Now is one to one, creating that synergy, appreciating that criminal justice is just one body. The governors that are not supporting administration of criminal justice system should begin to do that,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, noted the Federal Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee’s goal to strengthen effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Nigeria.

He recalled that the “administration of criminal justice Act came into force in 2015 with aim to promote efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and interests of a suspect, defendant and victim”.