Fagbemi Tasks Enforcement Agencies, Courts, Others on Good Execution of ACJA

•EFCC seeks wholistic review of act

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has stressed the need for effective collaboration, if the goals of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 must be attained.

Fagbemi, who described the Act passed in 2015, as representing a “beacon of hope” in government efforts at providing a system that serves the justice needs of the people, called on law enforcement agencies, lawyers, judges and all other stakeholders in the justice sector to always work with unity of purpose.

The AGF spoke yesterday in Abuja, at a one-day stakeholders’ engagement summit on the effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the official signing of the Practice Direction on Remand Proceedings, Guidelines and Monitoring Framework for the implementation of remand proceedings.

While stating that it was not enough to have laws, the AGF said the laws must be effectively implemented so that it was not just seen as a statute on paper but something that breathes life into the system.

Reacting to the section of the court that restrains judges from sentencing a defendant convicted in absentia, the minister urged courts to employ the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) in negotiating the reparations of such convicted persons.

He commended the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) under the chairmanship of the Chief Judge (CJ) of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf, for passage of the Strategic Action Plan 2024 to 2025 and the signing of the guidelines for remand procedures, noting that the documents would “serve as a comprehensive roadmap” towards the achievement of the goals of the ACJA, 2015.

In his remarks, the CJ of the FCT High Court, who recalled that the ACJA was borne out of the need to reform the country’s justice system to meet the needs of the people, assured of the commitment of the judiciary to uplifting and promoting various provisions of ACJA for effective administration of criminal justice.

Also, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede called for a wholistic review of the provisions of ACJA.

The EFCC boss while commending the success of the ACJA in the past ten years of its existence however, observed some flaws, especially Section 396(7) which was annulled by the Supreme Court for been in conflict with the Constitution.

He cited the case of former Abia State governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who was ordered to be retried simply because the judge that convicted at the trial court gave his judgement after he was elevated to the Court of Appeal Bench.

The EFCC boss, who was represented by the Director, Legal, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) also faulted Section 252(4)(5) of ACJA that denied a judge the power to pass sentence on a suspect who was convicted in absentia.