President Bola Tinubu has urged the Senate to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2026.
Tinubu’s request is contained in a letter addressed to the President of Senate and read at plenary on Thursday.
Tinubu said the bill was designed to provide for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts in Nigeria.
According to him, the bill also seeks to establish the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
“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,” he said.
The president also said that the bill sought to ensure speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and interests of the defendants and the victims, the courts, the law enforcement agencies and authorities.
“The bill is also to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice act 2015 and other authorities or persons involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the acts,” he said.
He attributed the request for the repeal of the extant acts and re-enactment of proposed 2026 act to the need for addressing certain legal procedure and institutional challenges identified in effective administration of criminal justice in Nigeria under the extant act.
The president 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.
Another challenge, according to the president, is the limitations in the monitoring and evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the acts.
He said the bill had been reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure and legislative drafting.
According to him, the legislation extensively addresses the above challenges and also reflects developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations and international best practices.
The president also said that the bill strengthened the administration of criminal justice monitoring council and provided additional measures aimed at effective implementation of the acts by relevant institutions.
He expressed the hope that the senate would give the bill expeditious consideration.
Akpabio, thereafter, referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative inputs, and to report back within four weeks.
