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Stakeholders clamour for states to domesticate criminal justice act

Published

6 years ago

June 21, 2019

Agency Reporter

Concerned stakeholders in the judicial sector have called for the domestication of the criminal justice act the every states of the federal to allow for speedy dispensation of justice.

Mr Frank Ijege, Legal Officer, TransparencIT, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) made this known in Abuja at a Public Policy Dialogue on Corruption Cases and Administration of Criminal Justice Act Compliance.

The dialogue was organised by TransapencIT in partnership with Trust Africa.

Ijege noted before the enactment of the act, there had been issues and challenges affecting the speedy completion of matters.

“We are here to discuss issues affecting corruption cases in Nigeria and the administration of criminal justice act.

“Prior to the enactment of this Act, we had issues and challenges affecting the speedy completion of corruption matters so with the advent of the act there are innovations to fast track cases.

” But if we can now have a situation where there is faithful implementation of the act, then the number of days cases last in the court will be reduced drastically and also we are calling for other states to also domesticate this to have their own administration of criminal justice so that cases that has been pending for so many year we can do away with them.”

Ijege also explained that judges handling criminal cases are the same judges that handles normal cases hence the need to have specialised courts to trial matters considering the fact that corruption has eaten deep into our system.

He said establishing specialised courts specifically for handling corruption cases will lead to speedy dispensation of justice.

” This judges are human beings and their diaries are very tight it is possible that they are overwhelmed with the number of cases they handle on a daily basis but if you have specialised court to trial corruption cases, it can ease their work.

“And they will be able to administer justice at the short possible time cases are brought to the court and it will be justice for the society, justice for the defendant and justice for our nation.

” In practice, we discover that a judge has an average of 10-20 cases in a day which comes up for trial but how possible is this judge able to handle this cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Henry Anoliefo, Programme Officer, Partners West Africa, Nigeria called for capacity building to criminal justice actors such as the magistrates and the justices.

Anoliefo said that majority of the judicial actors do not know what the provisions of the act is saying, hence the need for the training that will give rise to compliance of the act.

He, therefore, called for more funding as a key player in the success of compliance of the administration of criminal justice act.

Also, Mr Joshua Dada, a lawyer said that the implementation of the act was an impediment to handling corruption cases in the country.

Dada also identified lack of synergy between investigating agencies as problems in the administration of criminal justice in the country.

He further called for the appointment of more judges to handle corruption cases pending in the courts.

He, therefore, called for a committee to be set up to review the administration of the criminal justice act before prosecution in court.

NAN

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Imo Auto Parts Dealer Runs Abroad to Escape Bandit Attacks

Published

7 mins ago

November 3, 2025

The Gleamer

An automobile parts dealer, Mr Ifeanyi Kingsley Iwuagwu, has fled Nigeria to save his life after a series of deadly attacks by bandits on his community in Imo State.

Iwuagwu, who left the country in January this year, said he was forced to seek refuge abroad following repeated violent raids that claimed several lives and left properties in ruins.

The young entrepreneur, a native of the Okigwe axis of Imo State, recounted how relentless assaults by armed men transformed his once peaceful village into a war zone. “I had no choice but to leave,” he told AljazirahNigeria Newspapers. “It became a matter of life and death. Remaining there would have meant waiting for the next attack.”

As the only son of an aged mother who depends entirely on him for her welfare, Iwuagwu said leaving her behind was the most agonising decision he has ever made. His mother now lives in constant fear and uncertainty.

“It breaks my heart to be far from her,” he lamented. “But I had to leave to stay alive, with the hope of bringing her to safety one day.”

In recent years, many residents of rural communities in Imo State have faced escalating threats from bandits and criminal gangs, forcing some to abandon their homes and even seek refuge overseas.

For Iwuagwu, the decisive moment came on 20 November 2024, when his shop in Amiagbo, Nwangele Local Government Area, was looted and set ablaze. “That was the day I finally decided to follow the path of some of my colleagues who had already fled abroad,” he explained. “There is no safe place in Nigeria anymore. We keep hearing reports of kidnappings, banditry, herdsmen invasions, and terrorist attacks across all six geopolitical zones—no one knows where will be next.”

Security experts and community leaders have continued to urge the government to provide greater protection for defenceless communities and address the root causes of insecurity in the South East.

For Iwuagwu, survival remains his foremost concern. “All I want is peace and the chance to live without fear,” he said. “No one should have to abandon their home just to stay alive.”

The South-East geopolitical region of Nigeria has in recent years become a flashpoint of violence, with numerous deaths and widespread destruction of businesses and property. Many residents have fled their ancestral lands in search of both safety and livelihoods.

According to Amnesty International, approximately 1,844 people were killed in the South East by both state and non-state actors between January 2021 and June 2023.

The organisation’s Director, Isa Sanusi, disclosed this during the presentation of a report and campaign launch against insecurity in the region, titled “A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in South East”, held on 7 October.

Many Nigerians are now placing renewed hope in the recently appointed service chiefs by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, praying that their tenure will bring lasting peace and restore public confidence in the nation’s security architecture.

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