Judiciary, Police Collaborate on Efficient Justice Delivery

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation,
Abubakar Malami (SAN), yesterday expressed the need for
stakeholders in the justice sector to collaborate efforts to
enhance ongoing reforms of the country’s judicial system.

Malami made the call yesterday at the opening of a two-day
workshop aimed at sensitising men of the Nigeria Police on the
implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act
(ACJA), 2015 in Abuja.

The workshop was organised to review and adopt a national
framework and template for a coordinated implementation of the Act
in the country.

Malami, who was represented by the Solicitor-General of the
Federation, Dayo Apata, said the workshop was, “particularly
significant as it attests to the determination of the Federal
Ministry of Justice through the Federal Justice Sector Reform
Coordinating Committee to continue to galvanise justice sector
stakeholders in our collective efforts in reforming the justice
system for effective and efficient Justice delivery and promotion
of the rule of law”.

He said the Act provides for a broad legal framework for a more
effective cross-sector collaboration and oversight between agencies
in criminal justice administration and protect the rights of
citizens.

Section 29 of the Act requires the IG to make quarterly report
to the AGF on all arrest made with or without warrant in relation
to federal offences within Nigeria; while sections 33 and 34
requires officer in charge of a police station who is authorised to
make arrest to interface with Magistrate in the area on arrested
persons as well as police detention facilities.

“The Act also require the Chief Magistrate to submit the report
from the officer in charge of police station to criminal Justice
Monitoring Committee who us expected to analyse the reports and
advise the AGF accordingly,” Malami said.

However, the AGF remarked that the Act did not provide the
template or protocols for generating and submitting such report,
hence the need for the workshop.

“As a committee, charged with the mandate of identifying and
implementing reformes that facilities effective and efficient
Justice service delivery and promation of rule of law, the FJSRCC
in collaboration with other stakeholders and support from our
development partners, have developed draft template and protocols
for implementing these provisions for consolidation and adoption at
this workshop”, he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Inspector-General of Police
(IG), Ibrahim Idris, said as a member of the monitoring committee,
the police are committed and has taken steps at addressing the
challenges associated with meeting the provisions of ACJA as it
relates to policing function.

Idris who was represented by the CP Legal, Force Headquarters,
Abuja, Austine Sanomi, said the IG has regularly passed down
directives to all commands and formations, to ensure compliance
with the provisions of the Act, adding that the Act as a procedure
law, guides investigation and prosecution of criminal cases.

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