Group urges FG to make ACJL mandatory in legal training

To enhance transparency and accountability in the judicial sector, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) has called on the Federal Government to make Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) a mandatory programme of the National Judicial Institute to ensure effective criminal justice system.PWAN made this call at the presentation of its findings on Lagos ‘Court Observation and Criminal Justice Actors survey’ in October 2018 to June 2019. 
   
In his presentation, the programme officer of PWAN, Ms. Minoe Duamwam said that the implementation of ACJL in the various agencies would aid speedy dispensation of cases.She noted that the report would strengthen and improve the justice system in the country.
   
According to her, the report highlighted the role of criminal justice actors in implementing the ACJL, the challenges they might have faced in implementation as well as proffered recommendations for effective application.“The report comprises of daily court observation and the criminal justice actors survey. We are confident that this report will show the various criminal justice actors, where their strength lie and where there needs to be an improvement in the implementation in order to enhance our criminal justice sector. The criminal justice system is important and crucial in the fabric of a democratic state to have agencies that are inefficient and are not being held accountable.”
   
PWAN, therefore, recommended that among others clogging panel be set up by the Chief Judge of the High Court of F.C.T to reduce the number of backlogged cases from the cause list of judges. 
   
There is need for cordination among civil society organisations working with ACJL and to ensure harmonisation of efforts to increase impact and enhance justice delivery. 
   
“We recommend that ACJL be mandatory programme in legal training institutions. The course and programmes continued to be conducted at the National Judicial Institute, the Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal Studies, Nigerian Law School, Faculties of Law of the Universities and Police Training Colleges to ensure that all those seeking to be part of the criminal justice system learn it.”