Clement Nnachi, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Attorney-General /Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Cletus Ofoke, says the state government has domesticated the Administration of Criminal Justice Law No 013 of 2019 in Magistrate/High Courts in the State.
Barr. Ofoke who doubles as the Chairman Ebonyi State Criminal Justice Sector Committee. made the assertion in Abakaliki the State capital on Friday while briefing newsmen on innovations introduced by the government in the Justice Sector.
He said that the State Justice Sector Reform Committee drafted and domesticated the Act before forwarding it to the State House of Assembly as Executive bill for passage into law.
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The Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice said that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in the state implies that Criminal Procedure law applicable to High Courts and Magistrate Courts in the state had been repealed.
“All Criminal Procedures/Activities in Ebonyi State both Magistrate/High Courts are hereby regulated by the State Administration of Criminal Justice Law’
“Copies of this law can be found at the State Ministry of Justice for interested parties, henceforth prison decongestion would be a thing of the past.
According to him,” Governor David Umahi on 6th September 2019 assented to the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Ebonyi State.
“Today the State Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice is glad to inform all and sundry, Police. Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Correctional Service of the duly assented Copy of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law for the state”
“By the event of this law. Penal Proceedings in Ebonyi State may not last more than three months, strict administration of Criminal matters can now be disposed with ease”
“Police Officers who are not lawyers are no longer qualified to prosecute Criminal matters in the state, all Criminal matters will currently be prosecuted by lawyers of the State Ministry of Justice”
Barr. Ofoke said that so many States in the country have keyed into the Administration of Criminal Justice system
The Attorney General enumerated the benefits derived from the implementation of the Criminal Justice Law to include the “Speedy dispensation of Justice and efficient management of cases among others.
“The law promotes Speedy dispensation of Justice, encourages Restorative Justice, modernises Criminal Justice tools ”
“The law has made provision for Compensation for victims of crime, before now end point of Criminal Proceedings is incarceration to prisons”
Barr. Ofoke said that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law has now deviated from one being sentenced to prison terms to one being asked to embrace Alternative Dispute Dispensation.
“Victims of crime can now get compensation, before now there is an assumption that an inmate serving a particular sentence has no other Right, by this law a convict can now be reformed while in Prison Correctional Service, there is room for Reformation,” he reiterated
It would be recalled that in May 2015 the Administration of Criminal Justice Act was signed into law by Mr President with a directive to State Governments to domesticate the law in the 36 states of the Federation.
