News
Criminal Justice Act: Lawyers Seek Provision Of Infrastructure In Courtrooms
Legal practitioners and activists have called for urgent deployment of infrastructure in courtrooms to facilitate the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
They told newsmen in Lagos yesterday that although the provisions of the ACJA were aimed at ensuring speedy justice delivery, its application would be efficient, if the necessary infrastructure were deployed in courtrooms.
The ACJA, was signed into law in May 2015.
It has 495 sections divided into 49 parts, providing for the administration of criminal justice and related matters in courts at the Federal Capital Territory and other federal courts nationwide.
The law repeals the erstwhile Criminal Procedure Act as applied in the South and the Criminal Procedure Act, applicable in the North, and the Administration of Justice Commission Act.
By the provisions of Section 1, the purpose of the Act is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria, promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions and speedy dispensation of justice.
The Act is also geared at protecting the society from crime and the protection of the rights and interests of the suspect, the defendant and the victim.
Among other provisions, the Act does not allow for multiple adjournment of cases and it stipulates a time limit of 90 days, within which judgment should be delivered after conclusion of a case.
Speaking on the application of the Act, an activist, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, sees the ACJA as an ambitious attempt to tackle the hydra-headed problem of inefficient administration of criminal justice delivery in the country.
He told our correspondent that the said attempt had since met its water-loo as there was no corresponding provision of the necessary infrastructure that would oil the provisions of the Act.
“The entirety of the Act is meant to achieve a speedy and effective adjudication but without a corresponding improvement of facilities in the courts not much can be achieved.
“At issue are the number of available courtrooms, judicial officers as well as basic facilities. This has defeated the intent of the Act and now appears like putting a new wine into an old wine bottle.
“The letters of the ACJA cannot function with the existing infrastructure in the judiciary.
“There has to be a corresponding and holistic reformation of such infrastructure and human personnel in the courts to oil the wheels of justice in the way it is designed.”
Adegboruwa, therefore, called on government to put measures in place to ensure effective application of the ACJA.
“I urge the government to review the issue of manpower in the judiciary with respect to judicial officers, number of courtrooms, appointment of more judges and the creation of more courts.
“When a magistrate or judge has over 100 cases to attend to in a week, it becomes impossible to cope with such congestion in the courts and this renders the provisions of the ACJA ineffective.
“However, where these modalities are put in place, then it becomes realistic to set a time limit for adjournment of cases,” he said
On his part, a social critic, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, believes that the ACJA has done well in the unification of procedural acts of Nigeria, tapping from “the good work of Lagos State”.
He, however, urged the authorities to replicate the example of Lagos State and allow courts to conduct preliminary inquiry into investigations of the police on the reasons for remand without necessarily waiting for a formal arraignment.
Ataene also advised judges to ask pertinent preliminary questions in criminal charges and to discharge or grant bail to persons found unconnected to the charges, to help reduce congestion in prisons.
Another rights campaigner, Mr Daniel Onwe, argues that the cooperation of court, lawyers and the police is required to ensure an effective application of the ACJA.
He also stressed the need for law enforcement agencies to be diligent in the dispensation of their duties so as not to abuse some provisions of the Act.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
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