Participants at the 2 day training the trainers capacity building on criminal justice legislations for law enforcement officers in Sokoto.
BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
A senior lecturer with the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), Professor Ibrahim Abdullahi, says no law can thrive if protection of public morality is not the basis of its existence.
Professor Abdullahi (SAN), who spoke in Sokoto during the flag off of a two day training the trainers workshop organized by Cleen Foundation with support from Macarthur Foundation, added that political will to implement the provisions of Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJA) in Nigeria should be sacrosanct.
According to the erudite professor of law, there is no doubt that the resources to implement the provisions of ACJA is available, adding however that, what is lacking is the political will by those at the helm of affairs.
He noted that until adequate welfare of law enforcement agencies is given the needed priority, actualising the needed goals of a just society will continue to elude us.
Prof. Abdullahi said Nigeria has allowed religion, corruption and all manner of division to constitute setback to the implementation of ACJA in Nigeria.
In his paper presentation titled: “Evidence Collection, Processing and Presentation and Arrest, Detention and Search Regime”, Professor Abdullahi said, “a crime free society is a prosperous one that allows for economic and social development”.
He also noted that ACJA applies to all security agencies and not only the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Mr. Gad Peter, said functional and accountable justice system in every clime promotes national development.
This according to him was why the Cleen Foundation began a 3 year project on, “Enhancing The Accountability of Justice Sector Actors In Mitigation of Corruption in Nigeria”.
“Cleen by this new project seeks to consolidate efforts in enhancing the implementation of the ACJA, 2015 and deepening the tools for accountability developed and initiated under phase one if it’s ACJA project for purposes of improving accountability of justice actors and transparency in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Mr Gad said the e training is building on the gains made by the Cleen Foundation on ACJA.
He however advised that the profiling of crime should be mordenized, noting that “one must find digital means to fight digital criminality”.
