Senate passes ACJA Amendment Bill

The Senate has passed the Administration of Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

The passage was sequel to the presentation of the report of its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters during Wednesday’s plenary.

Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, presented the report.

He said that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (amendment) Bill, 2022 provided for uniform sentencing policies and more restorative justice mechanisms.

The mechanisms, he said, included Victim Offender Mediation; Suspended Sentence and Probation; and Community Service.

He said that the amendment changed the ” Establishment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee to Establishment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council”.

Bamidele said that the observations and findings were “that stakeholders unanimously supported the passage of the Bill in view of its strategic relevance to the reform in the justice sector as it is one of the policy thrusts of this administration.

“That to entrench the culture of fair, efficient and effective criminal justice service delivery in Nigeria and to improve outcomes through active partnership, it is imperative that the extant Act be holistically reviewed to make all-encompassing provisions.

“This is targeted at addressing all the inherent challenges in the course of its implementation with respect to some judicial pronouncements on the subject matter.”

The Senate President Ahmad Lawan, after consideration of the bill, thereafter approved and passed it.