CSLS Tasks National Assembly on Speedy Passage of ACJA Amendment Bill

*Commends Tinubu for sending bill to parliament

Alex Enumah in Abuja Abuja

The National Assembly has been called upon to give speedy and thorough consideration to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) Amendment Bill, currently before it.

Besides the federal lawmakers, states as well as other institutions have also been charged to ensure the application of the National Minimum Standards (NMS), to enhance justice delivery in the country.

The call by the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), was predicated on the immense benefits its passage will bring upon the country’s justice sector.

Meanwhile, the centre has commended President Bola Tinubu for sponsoring the bill through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Speaking at an event marking the closure of the CSLS’ project on “Improving Criminal Justice Administration through the National Minimum Standards (NMS), implemented under the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme and funded by the European Union, with support from the International
IDEA, President of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Professor Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, disclosed that the NMS gave the ACJA and related laws a clear, measurable yardstick for the police, courts, prosecutors, legal aid providers and correctional services.

The law professor explained that the CSLS project was meant to close the gap between what Nigeria’s criminal justice laws promises and what happens in practice.

“We are here to account for what has been done, show what has changed, and point to what remains to be done”, he said.

Prof. Akinseye-George noted that over the life of the project, CSLS worked with the various criminal justice sector institutions in seven focal states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to apply the standards in daily practice.

He identified some of the key results of the project to include law reform which was achieved while working with the Federal Ministry of Justice and other stakeholders, a collaboration that led to the conclusion the final draft of the ACJA Amendment Bill, now before the National Assembly.

He said: “It is now an Executive Bill, sponsored by the President
through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.”

Prof. Akinseye-George said the project also entailed learning and capacity building through training of trainers workshops.

He said workshops and related trainings on emerging trends on ACJA/ACJL developments were held for over 1,700 justice-sector actors and stakeholders on the NMS and current developments in criminal justice administration.

Prof. Akinseye-George added that in the course of executing the project, inspection visits were paid to courts, correctional centres, ministries of justice, police commands, the Legal Aid Council and the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committees (ACJMCs) to obtaiy first-hand evidence of compliance and gaps.

He said “Our impact stories, captured in the End-of-Project
Report, show what the standards mean for suspects, defendants, victims and the officials who serve them.

“Throughout the project, we shared progress and learning through our social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn) and the NMS websites.

“We thank the European Union for funding the RoLAC Programme, International IDEA for its partnership and support, the Federal Ministry of Justice and other criminal justice institutions, the focal-state institutions, our partners, and the media, whose reporting kept these issues in public view.

“Finally we thank the amazing project team for their hard work and dedication to this project,” the CSLS President said.