President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, urged the Senate to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015 and enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026.
Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio and read at plenary.
According to the President, the general objective of the bill is to provide for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and other federal courts in Nigeria.
He said the bill also seeks to establish the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in the country.
“The specific objective of the bill, as indicated in Section 1, is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions,” the letter stated.
Tinubu said the proposed law is designed to ensure speedy dispensation of justice, protection of society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of defendants, victims, the courts, and law enforcement agencies.
“The bill is also to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice and other authorities or persons involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the Act,” he said.
The President said the repeal and re-enactment became necessary to address certain legal, procedural and institutional challenges identified in the effective administration of criminal justice in Nigeria under the 2015 Act.
He listed the challenges to include delays in criminal investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings, inefficient coordination among criminal justice institutions, and ineffective case management mechanisms.
Other challenges, according to the President, are limitations in the monitoring and evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the Act.
Tinubu said the bill had been reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure and legislative drafting.
He added that the bill extensively addresses the identified challenges and also reflects developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations and international best practices.
The President said the bill further strengthens the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council and provides additional measures aimed at effective implementation of the Act by relevant institutions.
He expressed hope that the Senate would give the bill expeditious consideration.
Thereafter, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative input and directed it to report back within four weeks.
