Dear Colleagues,
In furtherance of its commitment to the nationwide domestication and implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, held a State Validation Public Forum on the 5th day of April 2022, in Minna, Niger State. The Public Forum brought together criminal justice stakeholders from across the State, including judicial officers, Legal practitioners in Niger State, officials of the Niger State Ministry of Justice, criminal defence lawyers, officers and men of the Nigeria Police, officers and men of the Nigeria Correctional Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and members of the general public, to sensitize stakeholders on the need to domesticate the ACJA 2015 in Niger State and to advocate for a speedy legislative process that will bring about the enactment of the Niger State Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
At the Public Forum, technical presentations and panel discussions by experts drew comparative analysis of the proposed Bill with the already existing Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) of 2015, while highlighting key innovative provisions introduced by the ACJA, 2015, which need to be adopted into the draft Administration of Criminal Justice Bill of Niger State.
It is expected that in the coming days, when the House of Assembly passes the Bill, as promised by the Chairman of the Niger State House Committee on Justice, some of the concerns raised by stakeholders at this Public Forum would be reflected in the draft Niger State Bill, and the legislative process would be further accelerated.
The NBA further promised to assist in any way to ensure that the Niger State Administration of Criminal Justice Bill, when passed into law meets the myriad of expectations that would lead to the speedy and effective dispensation of criminal justice in Niger State.
Professor Alphonsus Alubo, SAN delivered the keynote presentation and gave an overview of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. The NBA was represented by the Project Coordinator of the NBA/MacArthur Project – Mr. Osita Okoro, while Hon. Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik – Acting Chief Judge of Niger State, Chairman NBA Minna Branch – Mohammed El-Surur Abubakar, Chairman NBA Suleja Branch – Clement Eddy, and a host of others were also in attendance.
Dr. Rapulu Nduka
Publicity Secretary,
Nigerian Bar Association.
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