President Tinubu Urges Senate to Re-Enact Criminal Justice Act
Pecohub President Bola Tinubu has asked the senate to consider and pass a bill seeking to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, and re-enact it as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, to address challenges affecting the effective administration of criminal justice in the country.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter during plenary on Thursday.
According to Tinubu, the proposed legislation seeks to provide a legal framework for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts across the country.
He said the bill also provides for the establishment of an Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to improve compliance with the law and enhance its implementation nationwide.
“The general objective of the bill is to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and to enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2026 to provide for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory and other Federal courts in Nigeria and establish an Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria,” the letter reads.
Tinubu said the proposed legislation is intended to promote the efficient management of criminal justice institutions, ensure speedy dispensation of justice, protect society from crime and safeguard the rights and interests of suspects, defendants and victims.
He added that the bill would also ensure that courts, law enforcement agencies and other authorities involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the act.
The president said the decision to repeal and re-enact the 2015 law was informed by legal, procedural and institutional challenges that had hindered its effective implementation.
According to him, the challenges include delays in criminal investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings, poor coordination among criminal justice institutions, inefficient case management mechanisms and weak monitoring of compliance with the act.
“The bill, as reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, and legislative drafting, have extensively addressed the above challenges,” he said.
“The bill also reflects developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations, and international best practices relating to criminal justice reform.
