Stakeholders Meet To Foster Synergy In Administration Of Criminal Justice

To achieve the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), stakeholders drawn from the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Judiciary in Delta state have been brought together in a joint training.

Speaking Monday, the Controller General of Corrections, Mr. Ahmed Ja'afaru, hinted that the joint training was imperative to create the needed synergy for a proper functioning of the criminal justice system in the country.

Represented by the Controller of Corrections, Delta state Command, Mr. Sam .I. Iyakosegha, the CGC, hinted that "Nigerian Correctional Service is a key member of the sector and the only institution responsible for the custody of all persons convicted and awaiting trial in Nigeria.

"The quality of its personnel impacts directly on reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates. Therefore, this training and the other training on human rights conducted by Uchefem Consults since the past five years is very appropriate and key to the success of the operations of the Correctional system", charging participants to take the training very seriously.

Also, Barr. Uche Owete, the Chief Executive Officer, Uchefem Consult, revealed that the training would provide a forum for sharing and tackling cross sectoral challenges experienced in administrative of criminal Justice in Nigeria.

According to him, the training would increase the cross-sectorial coordination, competence and capacity of the major criminal justice actors to effect serious and durable changes in the sector for the overall benefit of Nigerians Correctional Service and Justice System.

Create assurance of shared responsibility by these actors with a view to changing Justice landscape and reduce human rights violations.

Inculcate the use of alternatives to imprisonment by magistrates in criminal justice administration as a means of reducing prison congestion and pretrial detention and the treatment of vulnerable persons including children.

It also ensure police observation of human rights standards during interrogation, detention and trial would be reduced drastically.

Highlight the major innovations in criminal justice administration in Nigeria as it would enable participants to be aware of human rights guarantees embedded in ACJA to the benefit of both prisoners and prison administration.

The training brought together the police investigation and prosecution segment, the lower courts particularly magistrates where the bulk of criminal cases are tried and the Corrections where persons are held for a long time without trial and where human rights violations are likely to occur.